Newton Knew a Ton
It wasn’t all smiles and laughs for Newton. He had a rough childhood, and I think that one of the reasons he was so great was because he was able to overcome this adversity and still affect so many people. Isaac Newton was born just after midnight on Christmas Day in 1642. Newton was not expected to live long because he was a premature baby, and was very unhealthy. His father died three months before his death, leaving his mother to care for Isaac on her own. Although he was not expected to live, he survived his first year of life and flourished afterward. Isaac’s mother remarried when he was three years old to a man named Barnabas Smith. Newton did not like his stepfather, and this man was largely responsible for Isaac’s struggles as a young child.
When he first started attending school at Grantham grammar school, he was not considered to be a brilliant student. He obtained mediocre grades and was not very well liked by his classmates. The reason he was not doing so well in school was that he was spending most of his time on his individual projects. He spent his time making models, kites, sundials, and mechanical devices. He even made a full working wind mill that was used in town. It was clear early on that Newton had a knack for science. After a while at school, his genius started to show when he began to concentrate more on his school work. His talent was recognized by the headmaster of the school, and this headmaster was the one who convinced Isaac’s mother that it was right to send Isaac to a university for further study. His mother was not such an agreeable woman, and she only agreed to it because whenever Isaac was at the farm, he was thinking about his inventions and was no help at all.
Although Hannah, Isaac’s mother, had agreed to let Isaac go to school, she had not agreed to pay for it. Therefore, for the first 2 years of his schooling at Cambridge University, Isaac had to work for his tuition. He worked for the more wealthy students on campus, and was embarrassed by the tasks that they made him perform. After this grueling childhood, it would take a genius of a man and a hard working individual to achieve all that Isaac Newton did. Newton was up to the task, and performed it well. Soon after his arrival at Cambridge, he enrolled at Trinity College, a branch of Cambridge. This is where Newton would spend the next forty years of his life.
After his first two months at Trinity, it would become clear to Newton that his studies were not going to be particularly challenging. Because his studies did not pose a big problem for him, he had plenty of time to investigate his own theories. The following is a page from Isaac Newton’s journal during his years at Trinity. I think this portrays his genius because it shows how vast his interests were. He wanted to study everything he could in order to gain the truth about the universe. It read, “
Some Philosophical Questions
I am a friend of Plato, I am a friend of Aristotle, but truth is my greater friend.
-Of Water and Salt
-Attraction Magnetical
-Of the Sun Stars and Planets and Comets
-Of Gravity and Levity”
When Newton was close to finishing his undergraduate degree at Trinity, disaster hit England. The Bubonic Plague killed many people, and his school shut down. One would think that this would hinder Newton’s ability to study and evolve his concepts, but the coming year he spent at his home in Woolsthorpe would come to be known as “The Miraculous Year”. During this time he invented a system of mathematics that, “made it possible to develop coordinates of distance and time and to derive expressions that designated speed, velocity, and acceleration” (Boerst, page 44). Newton’s new system of mathematics made it possible to quantify bodies that were constantly changing over time. His system was truly remarkable, and is still used in the world today. Virtually every branch of engineering uses calculus. It is used to build buildings, mix chemicals and develop reaction rates, build cars, create most electronic and magnetic devices, travel to space, launch rockets, build circuits, and fly airplanes and helicopters. Without the development of calculus, further progress in technical fields would be impossible. It is through Newton’s work that technology has progressed so much during the last 200 years.
If you can believe it, Newton’s development of calculus was not the most important thing that he did during his years stay at Woolsthorpe. During his stay, he was interested in studying optics, or the nature of light. These experiments were some of the more dangerous ones that could be conducted. During one experiment, Newton found it necessary to stare into the Sun for as long as he could stand. He ended up going blind for three days after this experiment. His dedication to his work and arduous attempts to find out the truth are what make Newton a great individual. His studies about Optics were very influential in what is called “Modern Physics”. Newton used prisms to investigate theories of reflection, refraction, dispersion, and defraction. Newton also looked into the electromagnetic spectrum. The most important invention that he created had to do with optics. In the 1670s, Isaac built a new, more powerful telescope. He called his telescope a reflecting telescope. It was revolutionary because it provided a clear picture and scientists were able to see much further into space.
As if this wasn’t enough, Newton made one more discovery that would get him discovered by England’s most prestigious scientific community, the Royal Society. During his time at Woolsthorpe, Newton discovered the theory of gravity. He discovered that no matter where you threw something or if something fell, it would always fall towards earth because of gravity. Newton’s theory came to him as he was sitting under an apple tree and an apple fell towards Earth and onto his head. After this major revelation, he joined the Royal Society, and eventually climbed to the top of the organization, stopping anyone who opposed his views, which he knew to be correct.
Isaac Newton was a truly remarkable individual. He made groundbreaking discoveries in mathematics, optics, and gravity. His influence in the scientific world helped to create the majority of the technology that we have today. The fact that Newton was able to overcome the adversity that he faced during his childhood and become such a great scientist was an amazing feat.
Newton ponders his theory of gravity under an apple tree
Sources Cited
White, Michael. Isaac Newton: Discovering Laws That Govern the Universe. Woodbridge: Blackbirch P Inc, 1999.
Boerst, William J. Isaac Newton: Organizing the Universe. Greensboro: Morgan Reynolds Inc, 2004.
June 8th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
your title convinced me.
June 9th, 2009 at 6:50 am
Your title is so clever! Newton obviously had a major role in science throughout history, and your blog effectively portrays that.
June 10th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
I really like your definition of greatness in the opening paragraph. Also you helped me realize how much of an impact he really does have on my entire life (like gravity).
By the way I love your title!!
Betsie
p.s. your’e great
June 11th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Pretty amazing blog post. The biography portrays who the man was, not who the stories make him to be, and it added to his credibility. The background of this man, coupled with how he should be considered “The Greatest Individual in History” further adds to his credibility. You really made him seem human. The only problem I see is a lack of hypertexted words. The only change I may make is the beginning, when you talk about how Newton impacts our lives: the way you present it may be building up to a point yet, at least to me, these items seem overwhelming. But that is it. Brilliant project.