Newton

Author: Tian Zhan Sheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: 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 the size of tides is not only related to the lunar phases but also to the gravitational pull of the sun. Additionally, Newton theoretically predicted that the Earth is not a perfect sphere but slightly flattened at the poles and bulging at the equator, which helped explain the precession of the equinoxes. 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's 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; founded scientific optics by decomposing light; founded scientific mathematics by establishing the binomial theorem and the theory of infinite series; and founded scientific mechanics by understanding the nature of force." To commemorate Newton's contributions, the International Astronomical Union decided to name minor planet 662 as the asteroid Isaac Newton.