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PRUITT

Mary Pruitt

Philosophy202

25June19

The scientific revolution was an innovative platform for improvements in science. Sir Isaac Newton's work was a major turning point of the Scientific Revolution, he utilized the advances made before him in mathematics, astronomy, and physics to derive a comprehensive understanding of the physical world. Sir Isaac Newton impact on science and mathematics was very impressive and innovative. My goal in this paper is to highlight Newton influence on the world, his arguments compared to others and how his inventions still lives on in todays’ society. To achieve this goal, I have organized my paper into 4 sections, one which have one sub-section. In section one, talks about the life of Issacs Newton. Section two, speaks on Newton’s discoveries and following paragraphs going into more details on each of his discoveries. Section three highlights, Newton stand against other conflicting ideas in science including Leibniz. Lastly section 4, which brings the paper to an end on how Newton lives on in the Current world.

Historical Content

A look into the life of the man responsible for the fundamental theories which have made space missions, like the Rosetta mission, possible may help us appreciate how far we have come in the realm of science. (7) Isaac Newton is considered by many to be one of the most influential people in human history. Born on January 4th, 1643 at Wools Thorpe Manor in Wools Thorpe-by-Colsterworth, Isaac Newton was involved in the fields of physics, math, astronomy, among other fields. Best known in the Physics community for his three laws of motion as well as his description of universal gravitation, he was also responsible for much during his life. Born three months after the death of his father, a farmer also named Isaac Newton, he was born prematurely. He was a small child and not expected to survive.

Discoveries

“Newton theories replaced Aristotelian mechanics and caused a paradigm shift in the outlook on the workings of the universe.” (5) The first innovation that Newton brought to our world was the discovery of light. Newton said that white light is made up of many colors. “He discovered this by setting up a prism near his window and projecting a spectrum twenty-two feet onto the far wall, to prove that the prism was not coloring the light, he refracted the light back together.” (6) The advantage of Newton’s theory of light is that we know that light is made up of many colors. Newton performed an experiment using a glass prism. Newton developed theories on the composition of white light and the spectrum of colors.  “His theory claims that objects appear certain colors because they absorb and reflect different amount of light. “(3) Newton is remembered for many other things, especially for his theory of gravity, a discovery famously sparked by a falling apple - More influential was his work on planetary motion and the movement of bodies. This work was published in 1687, with support from astronomer Edmond Halley after a period of intense study, as the Principia. In this work, Newton laid out his famous three laws of motion and used them to make many accurate predictions of the motions of the planets, as well as detailing motion of fluids and sound waves. It was not until the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century that the theories of quantum mechanics and relativity would begin to bring Newton’s work into question. Newton’s theory on gravity helped explain the movements of the planets and the sun. His theory explains that gravity is the reason objects fall to the ground when they are dropped. The laws of motion are three fundamental laws of physic that laid out the base from classical mechanics.  A change in velocity means, by definition, that there is an acceleration. Newton’s first law says that a net external force causes a change in motion; thus, we see that a net external force causes acceleration.

“Newton’s first law states that an object at rest will stay at rest and an object set in motion will keep moving unless stopped by another force. “Newton’s first law is completely general and can be applied to anything from an object sliding on a table to a satellite in orbit to blood pumped from the heart”. (3)  This is also known as the law of inertia. Inertia is the tendency of an object to remain at rest or remain in motion. Inertia is related to an object’s mass. Mass is the quantity of matter in a substance.

His second law says that an applied force on an object equals the rate of time change of its momentum. Newton’s second law of motion is more quantitative and is used extensively to calculate what happens in situations involving a force. The acceleration of a system is directly proportional to and in the same direction as the net external force acting on the system, and inversely proportional to its mass. Newton’s third law explains that every action has an equal or opposite reaction.” (3) This law represents a certain symmetry in nature: Forces always occur in pairs, and one body cannot exert a force on another without experiencing a force itself. “ Thrust ‘ is a form of Newtons’ third law.

Conflicting Challenges

Newton fought Hooke over the inverse square law of gravity, and he fought Leibniz over the invention of calculus. (9) “While Newton was a prolific and influential scientist, he faced many challenges, particularly in the form of volatile disputes with his contemporaries. Accomplished scientist Robert Hooke initially challenged Newton’s views on light, leading to friction between the two during the 1670s and 80s”. (7) Robert Hooke (1635-1703) was an incredibly influential scientist of the 17th century, but his legacy has been overshadowed by other famous scientists of the period such as Newton. In an attempt to become part of royal society, in which newton had already been a part of, Hooke constantly criticized newton’s work. Hooke was a fan of the wave theory of light, developed by Descartes, which held that light was made up of white wavelengths. Colored light occurred when white light passed through a lens or prism and became corrupted, which in was opposite from newton work. In “Hooke, Orbital motion and newton’s principia”, Michael Nauenberg, explains the constant battle between the two involving light and also newton’s critism on Hooke inconclusive and incomplete theories. When Newton's theories were published, Hooke was very critical of his work. He claimed that the parts of Newton's theory that were correct were stolen from him, and that the other parts were wrong. Newton didn't take kindly to the criticism and carried on a semi-public feud with Hooke that continued for years. The Newton and Hooke controversy also extended into another area: gravity.

Newton also had a few instances with someone else influential in the world of science and theory, Leibniz. Their feud was on calculus, Newton’s work was based on limits and concrete reality, while Leibniz focused more on the infinite and the abstract (Struik, 1948) (10)

Isaac Newton is known for his important theory on gravity, the laws of motion, color, and a type of mathematics called calculus. He also invented the reflecting telescope. Newton had developed several theories, such as his fundamental principles of gravitation and color. This is only a few theories that that Isaac Newton contributed to the world of mathematics. Newton contributed to all aspects of mathematics including geometry, algebra, and physics which is still accurate today.

References 1.    Hay, William H. “On the Nature of Newton's First Law of Motion.” The Philosophical Review, vol. 65, no. 1, 1956, pp. 95–102. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2182191.

3.    D. Shapere, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Philosophical Review, 1964; 73: 384 – 94

4.    Whipps, Heather. "How Isaac Newton Changed the World." LiveScience. 08 June 2008. Purch. 05 June 2019 <https://www.livescience.com/4965-isaac-newton-changed-world.html>. 5. Dominiczak, Marek. “Science and Culture in the 18th Century: Isaac Newton.” Clinical Chemistry, vol. 58, no. 3, American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Mar. 2012, pp. 655–56, doi:10.1373/clinchem.2011.180810.

6. “NEWTON AND THE COLOR OF SPECTRUM.” Newton and the Color Spectrum, www.webexhibits.org/colorart/bh.html.

7. Sherbo, Ryan. “Isaac Newton's Genius Still Meaningful Today.” The Manitoban, 2 Dec. 2014, www.themanitoban.com/2014/12/isaac-newtons-genius-still-meaningful-today/21826/.

8. N, Michael. “Hooke, Orbital Motion, Newton Principia.” Hooke, Orbital Motion, Newton Principia, 1993, physics.ucsc.edu/~Michael/hookeorbitalmotion.pdf.

9. MLA (Modern Language Assoc.) Godfrey-Smith, Peter. Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science. University of Chicago Press, 2003.

10. Struik, Dirk. A Concise History of Mathematics. New York, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1948