Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton


Sir Isaac Newton was born in 1642 in Woolsthorpe England on

Christmas Day. His father had died three years before his birth, and

baby Isaac was not expected to survive because he was a premature

baby. As he got older he attended a Grammar school in Grantham,

where he found his love for science. The plan was for Isaac to come

back home at the age of seventeen so he could look after the farm, but

his uncle thought otherwise. His uncle, a Cambridge undergraduate,

persuaded his mom that it would be better for Isaac to go to a

university.

In 1661, Isaac went up to Trinity College where he paid his way

for six semesters by waiting tables and cleaning rooms. He was elected

a scholar and received four years of financial support. Unfortunately

the plague broke out that summer and Isaac was forced to return home.

He spent two year concentrating on problems in mathematics and

physics. During this time he studied the theories of gravitation. These

theories are mathematic formulas that explain how objects move when

a force acts on them. He explained that gravity is the force that causes

things to fall down. If a pencil falls off a desk, it will land on the floor,

not the ceiling. Along with this Newton came up with the three laws of

motion.

In 1667 Isaac returned to the university, where he began work on

chemistry and optic theories. He began to experiment with light, lenses,

and prisms. He was trying to improve the telescope. Newton’s first

major public scientific achievement was the invention, design and

construction of the reflecting telescope.

Newton had a minor set back when after a long day of work his

dog joined him in his study room. As his dog jumped on the table, he

knocked over a candle, and the room quickly went into flames. Newton

lost over twenty years of work in the fire.

Sir Isaac Newton will always be known for his many...