Lecture Notes: Sir Isaac Newton

Early Life

• Born on Christmas day, 1642, in Woolsthorpe Manor, Lincolnshire.
• Premature baby, could fit inside a quart mug, barely survived.
• Father died before his birth; raised by grandparents after mother remarried.
• Displayed early interest in mechanics over social activities.
• Attended King's School; signature still visible there.

Education and Early Achievements

• Enrolled at University of Cambridge in 1661.
• Developed calculus in his mid-20s.
• Influenced by, yet questioned, Greek philosophers.

Key Scientific Contributions

• Optics: Discovered white light comprises colors of the rainbow.
  • Built a reflecting telescope to prove this.
• Gravitational Theory: Inspired by the falling apple story.
  • Formulated the concept of gravity.
  • Used calculus to explain planetary movement.

Career Milestones

• Returned to Cambridge post-plague, held academic posts.
• Published "Principia" in 1687, detailing laws of motion and universal gravitation.
  • First Law: An object remains in rest unless acted on by a force.
  • Second Law: Force equals mass times acceleration.
  • Third Law: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Personal Life and Beliefs

• Contributed more to theology than science in written works.
• Predicted apocalypse in 2060 through Biblical analysis.
• Secretly studied alchemy for 25 years; possible mercury poisoning.

Later Years

• Managed The Royal Mint; improved coinmaking, prosecuted counterfeiters.
• Engaged in disputes with contemporaries like Leibniz and Hooke.
  • Allegedly used influence to diminish rivals’ legacies.

Legacy

• Knighted by Queen Anne in 1705.
• Died in 1727, buried at Westminster Abbey.
• Remembered for both scientific and theological contributions.
• Celebrated by poet Alexander Pope for illuminating nature’s laws.