Biography of Newton

Author: James Gleick / Wu Zheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: James Gleick chose fantastic themes! Newton is the genius among geniuses. His secret notes changed our understanding of the universe, showing us that it is not only infinite but also infinitely small. Newton's exploration of order is legendary, as he embarked on heroic adventures in the realms of mystery and chaos. Beyond reflecting Newton's talent, Gleick provides a new perspective on this great man through descriptions of his personality and life, the people associated with him, significant events that influenced him, his great achievements, and the historical period in which he lived. He paints a new portrait of this, allowing readers to vividly understand this extraordinary yet ordinary great man. The book is concise, immersive, and elegantly written, making it one of James Gleick's most popular popular science works. After its publication in the United States, it quickly climbed to the top of the Amazon Best Sellers list in the science category and quickly became a global sensation, selling consistently. Newton is undoubtedly one of the greatest scientists in history, and his achievements in mathematics and physics mark the peak of the formation of modern science. Richard Westfall details Newton's personal life and his complex journey as a scientist, philosopher, theologian, alchemist, and as a celebrity—the President of the Royal Society and the Master of the Mint.
Newton (Isaac Newton, 1642-1727), an English physicist, astronomer, and mathematician, was born in Lincolnshire. In astronomy, in 1672, Newton invented the reflecting telescope; he also explained the phenomenon of tides, pointing out that their size is not only related to the phases of the moon but also to the gravitational pull of the sun. Additionally, Newton theoretically predicted that the Earth is not a sphere but slightly flattened at the poles and slightly bulging at the equator, which explained the phenomenon of precession. In physics, based on the work of Galileo, Kepler, and others, Newton established three fundamental laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation, as well as the theoretical framework of classical mechanics. In mathematics, Newton formulated the "Binomial Theorem" and, almost simultaneously with Leibniz, developed calculus. In optics, Newton discovered that white sunlight is composed of different colored lights and created the "Newton color wheel." Regarding the nature of light, Newton proposed the "corpuscular theory of light." In his work Principia Mathematica, Newton mathematically explained the heliocentric theory of Copernicus and the phenomena of celestial motion. Newton's contributions to humanity are immense, as Engels said: "Newton founded scientific astronomy by discovering the law of universal gravitation; he founded scientific optics by conducting the decomposition of light; he founded scientific mathematics by establishing the binomial theorem and the theory of infinitesimals; and he founded scientific mechanics by understanding the nature of force." To commemorate Newton's contributions, the International Astronomical Union decided to name asteroid 662 Newton.