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Unlock The Secrets Of Isaac Newton’S Fascinating Life With Bedtime Biographies
We’re about to take a journey through the life and work of Isaac Newton, one of the most renowned scientists in history.
To kick things off, let’s ponder on this often-told tale: a man sits under an apple tree, deep in thought pondering a tricky problem.
All of a sudden, bam!
An apple falls from the tree and knocks him in the head.
This sets off an epiphany that proves the answer to his problem – classic Henry Ford story.
But this isn’t just any old legend; it’s a tale based around none other than Isaac Newton himself.
We all know him as the scientist who was hit with an apple and profoundly discovered gravity out of it – but did you know there is much more to him beyond this? In these few minutes we’re going to explore his extraordinary life and achievements further, so grab your seatbelts everybody!
It’s gonna be one wild ride.
Isaac Newton Draws Inspiration From Galileo To Help Unlock The Mysteries Of Motion
Isaac Newton was born on Christmas Day, 1642, to his father and mother Hannah Ayscough.
His father had died before he was born, leaving Hannah to care for her son alone.
As a child he showed a great curiosity for the mysteries of the world around him and often tried to uncover them through experimental methods such as fashioning sundials with threads and exploring how the sun moved across the sky.
With his inquisitive mind, it wasn’t long before Newton entered King’s School at Grantham where he learned traditional grammar school subjects like Latin, Greek, Hebrew and theology.
He also learnt concepts from arithmetic such as measuring areas and shapes in addition to surveying land.
Despite this being typical knowledge of the time, Newton did not do particularly well in these classes which led his family to suggest a simple farm life by tending sheep in Woolsthorpe village but Newton believed he could achieve greater success elsewhere.
Through help from his Uncle and William Clarke (an apothecary) who saw potential in him, Newton was admitted into Trinity College; one of Cambridge University’s leading Institutes at the time.
Upon arriving here at this prestigious college he soon found out that although sophisticated on the outside, dormitories lacked comfort within educational standards were extenuatingly difficult – demanding what seemed like inhuman levels of dedication from its students.
Newton Seized Opportunity In Plague Lockdown To Revolutionize Science
When the Cambridge University shut down in 1664 during a bubonic plague outbreak, Isaac Newton saw this as an opportunity to delve deeper into his studies.
After returning home to his room, he conducted experiments with light and color using candles, mirrors, and prisms.
It was during this time that he began working on his revolutionary theory of motion and gravitation as well.
Newton dedicated himself to understanding the underlying logic behind objects in motion by conducting numerous experiments with them.
Through careful mathematical observation and record keeping, he studied objects falling, rolling down slopes, and being thrown into the air.
His endeavors paid off when he was appointed Lucasian Professor at Trinity College, giving him the resources and freedom to pursue his ideas further.
Next, Newton amazed the scientific community of England by creating a prototype for the first reflecting telescope; a device that could see distant objects with greater clarity than its refracting counterparts.
He wrote up his experiment and findings in a paper for the Royal Society in 1662 where he described how sunlight split into individual beams of color when passed through multiple prisms which captivated people all over Britain.
How Isaac Newton’S Contribution To Calculus And Currency Revolutionized The Modern World
The third chapter in Isaac Newton’s book focused on the advances that he was making in calculus as well as his rivalry with German mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz over rights to the theory of calculus.
Newton had developed his own set of infinitesimal calculations and explored them further during an extended period away from Cambridge while a plague was raging.
This work was later included in his second book, Treatise on the Reflections, Refractions, Inflexions and Colors of Light, accompanied by some other references from the Royal Society.
Unfortunately, because of Newton’s lack of clarity, Leibniz didn’t believe him and heated disputes followed for decades even after their deaths.
To add to his already impressive resume, Newton landed a job at Britain’s Royal Mint as head where he implemented a number of bold changes including a total redesign of England’s currency to make counterfeiting harder and ensure customer protection on a larger scale.
Thanks to this successful move, he earned respectability among all classes of society.
If you’re heading off to bed, I wish for your restful sleep and sweet dreams!
