Sir Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727) was an English physicist and mathematician who was one of the most influential people in the scientific revolution. He studied at the University of Cambridge, Royal Society and the Royal Mint throughout his life. His fields of interest were physics, natural philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, alchemy, Christian theology and economics. However he is most famous for his work in Newtonian mechanics, universal gravitation, infinitesimal calculus, optics, binomial series, principia and Newton’s method.
In June 1665, Sir Isaac Newton studied at Trinity College, Cambridge. At the time the college’s teachings were based on those of Aristotle. Sir Isaac Newton would take Aristotle’s principles and supplement them with modern philosophers. From doing so, Newton founded binomial theorem and then began to develop the mathematical theory of infinitesimal calculus. In August 1665, Sir Isaac Newton graduated with his degree. Trinity College closed for a two year period due to precaution against the Great Plague.
During the two year period which the university was closed, Sir Isaac Newton, a then undistinguished student, studied privately in his home and began development of his theories on calculus, optics, and the law of gravitation. After the university re-opened, Sir Isaac Newton returned to Trinity College as a fellow. In 1693 he finally published his theory on infinitesimal calculus. He was reluctant to publish his calculus theory because he feared controversy and criticism.
From 1670 to 1672 Sir Isaac Newton lectured on optics. During this two year period he researched the refraction of light and demonstrated that a prism could decompose white light into a spectrum of colors. In 1679, Sir Isaac Newton began working on his theory of gravitation again. This theory is one of the fundamental theories of modern day physics today. Sir Isaac Newton’s discoveries in the field of physics and mathematics were revolutionary.
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