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What is Inertia?
The apochryphal story of an apple falling on Sir Isaac Newton's head is likely one
of the more famous stories about the discovery of a basic scientific process, even
though there is no evidence he was hit by falling fruit. What is true, though, is that
Newton's laws of motion are still being widely used today, to explain the kinds of
objects and speeds you come across in everyday life.
The story of Newton's falling apple is mainly legend - documents indicate he saw
an apple fall, but there's no evidence he was hit by one - but while it may have
given him the idea of figuring out gravity, the esteemed scientist only discovered
the laws of motion after many years of studying math, physics, optics and
astronomy.
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Newton developed his laws of motion in 1666, when he was only 23 years old. In
1687, I presented the laws in his seminal work "Principia Mathematica
Philosophiae Naturalis,” in which he explained how outside forces affect the
movement of objects.
Newton's laws refer to the motion of objects in an inertial reference frame, which
can be described as a system in which an object remains at rest or moves with
constant linear velocity unless acted upon by external forces. Newton found that
movement within such a system could be expressed using three simple laws.
2. "The force acting on an object is equal to the mass of that object times its
acceleration." Objects will move farther and faster when they are pushed harder,
and heavier objects need more force to move the same distance as lighter
objects.
3. "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." When an object is
pushed in one direction, there is always an equal resistance from the opposite
direction. This law can be used to explain how a rocket works: its powerful
engines push down on the ground (the action) and the resistance from the ground
pushes the rocket upwards with an equal force (the reaction).
The story of Newton's falling apple is mainly legend - documents indicate he saw
an apple fall, but there's no evidence he was hit by one - but while it may have
given him the idea of figuring out gravity, the esteemed scientist only discovered
the laws of motion after many years of studying math, physics, optics and
astronomy.
But Newton’s story is also one of a monstrous ego who believed that he alone was able to understand God’s creation. His private life
was far from rational – consumed by petty jealousies, bitter rivalries and a ruthless quest for reputation.
25 December 1642
Not expected to survive the day
How Newton’s early years marked him for life. Clip from Isaac Newton: The Last Magician (BBC Two).
Newton was born prematurely on Christmas morning, in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire. He was a tiny baby, given little chance of
survival.
The country he was born into was chaotic and turbulent. England was being torn apart by civil war. Plague was an ever-present
threat. Many believed the end of the world was imminent. But the hamlet of Woolsthorpe was a quiet community, little touched by
either war or plague, which respected Puritan values of sobriety, simple worship and hard work.
Natural philosophers: The first scientistsWhat did Puritans believe?The English Civil War
1645
A lonely boy who hated his stepfather
Newton’s father had died before he was born. When Isaac was three, his mother left him with his grandmother and married a man
from a nearby village.
This turbulent start scarred Newton for life. He felt rejected by his family. He hated his stepfather and threatened to burn his house
down. At Grantham school, Newton sought solace in books. He was unmoved by literature and poetry but loved mechanics and
technology, inventing an elaborate system of sundials which was accurate to the minute. While his mother hoped he would run the
family farm, his uncle and his headmaster realised Newton was destined for an intellectual life.
Making pies on Sunday night... punching my sister... threatening my Father and Mother Smith to burn them and the house over them.
1661
A mathematical mentor
What did Newton’s professors teach him – and why did he reject it? Clip from Isaac Newton: The Last Magician (BBC Two).
Newton enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge. Here he found a father figure who set him on the road to important discoveries.
Isaac Barrow, Cambridge's first professor of mathematics, steered Newton away from the standard undergraduate texts and towards
the big unsolved mathematical problems of the day, such as calculus - a way of describing how things change. Calculus would later
be crucial for explaining the universe in mathematical terms. Newton also hunted out new works by men such as Descartes, who
argued that the Universe was governed by mechanical laws.
Browse Newton's Trinity College notebookWho was Isaac Barrow?Portrait of Isaac Barrow
1665
Newton’s productive plague years
See some of the remarkable ideas Newton conceived during this period of isolation. Clip from Isaac Newton: The Last Magician
(BBC Two).
When Cambridge University was closed because of the plague, Newton was forced to return home. This was the most productive
period of his life.
Newton was driven by the belief that the path to true knowledge lay in making observations rather than reading books. For example,
rather than trust texts on optics, he experimented by sticking a bodkin – a blunt needle – in his eye to see its effect. He laid the
groundwork for his theories of calculus and laws of motion that would later make him famous. But, naturally secretive, he kept his
ideas to himself.
1671
New ideas lead to a revolutionary new telescope
Watch this clip to find out how Newton's telescope works. Clip from Isaac Newton: The Last Magician (BBC Two).
Newton continued to experiment in his laboratory. This mix of theory and practice led him to many different kinds of discoveries.
His theory of optics made him reconsider the design of the telescope, which up until this point was a large, cumbersome instrument.
By using mirrors instead of lenses, Newton was able to create a more powerful instrument, 10 times smaller than traditional
telescopes. When the Royal Society heard about Newton’s telescope they were impressed. This gave Newton the courage to tell
them what he described as a ‘crucial experiment’ about light and colours.
The Royal Society met at Crane Court. It was a newly formed organisation for men of learning to discuss their ideas.
The Royal Society was an elite group who met to share and critique each other’s work. They encouraged Newton to share his ideas.
But Newton's theories about light did not go down well. Other members of the Royal Society could not reproduce his results – partly
because Newton had described his experiment in an obscure manner. Newton did not take the criticism well. When Robert Hooke
challenged Newton’s letters on light and colours, he made a lifelong enemy. Newton had an ugly temper and an unshakable
conviction that he was right. With his pride dented, he began to withdraw from intellectual life.