Who was Isaac Newton?

Isaac Newton (1642-1727) is considered to be one of the most influential scientists to have ever lived. Born into a Lincolnshire farming family, he was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. Newton was appointed Master of the Royal Mint in 1696 and President of the Royal Society in 1703 - a position he held for 22 years until his death. In 1705, he was knighted by Queen Anne, the first scientist to be so honoured for his work. The theory behind Principia The Principia combined the ideas of Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler into a single theory which explained the underlying universal laws of the cosmos in mathematical terms. Newton's laws united heaven and earth, effectively ending the separation of the natural and the supernatural. In 1684, Newton first published his ideas on universal gravitation in a nine-page paper entitled De moto corporum in gyrum. This work became the basis for Principia. The Philosophise is divided into three books. The first book begins with eight definitions and three axioms. These axioms, which became known as Newton's three laws of motion, are followed by propositions, theorems and problems. The second book covers the motion of bodies through resisting mediums, as well as the motions of fluids. The last book extends the three laws of motion into Newton's law of universal gravitation. Want to know more about Isaac Newton?