Sir Isaac Newton 

Sir Isaac Newton — one of the most influential people in mathematics and science from his time till today. Today, most people may know him for the famous apple tree story, but he was more than that. A visionary who changed the way we study science, not only in our world but beyond. His discoveries and ideas laid some rules of the universe that almost everybody in it obeys. These notes cover everything you need to know about Sir Isaac Newton, from his early life to his achievements and greatest works. 

1.0About Sir Isaac Newton — An Introduction: 

Issac Newton was born in 1642, on 25 December in Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth at Woolsthorpe Manor. Born premature with a small and weak mass, it did not stop him from achieving greatness. 

His curiosity, shown by his famous story of the apple tree, led him to discoveries that state the laws of the physical world and remain true till today. For his groundbreaking work in science, he earned the title of “father of modern science”. 

Fun Fact: Although a great scientist, he was never a great teacher. In fact, most of his classes were almost empty, and he used to talk to the walls to fulfil his duties at Cambridge. 

2.0Sir Isaac Newton Education: 

• Sir Issac Newton's education journey started from the King’s School, Grantham, where he was imparted the foundation of mathematics. He was a top-ranked student at school and also built models of sundials and windmills. 
• He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge University in 1661 and majored in mathematics, optics, and philosophy there. He was also a fellow and assistant professor of maths at his college. 
• While studying in college in 1665, he discovered the generalised binomial theorem. 
• Due to precautionary measures of the Great Plague (1665–1667), he returned home for two years. But those two years turned out to be the golden period for his biggest works in calculus, laws of gravitation and optics. 

3.0Contributions in the Field of Science: 

Here is a small list of some of Sir Isaac Newton’s best contributions, which laid the framework for the laws of the physical world: 

Newton’s Laws of Motion: 

Newton laid the foundation of classical mechanics by giving three fundamental laws of motion:

• The first law of motion, or the law of Inertia, states the importance of momentum and inertia of a body.
• The second law of motion describes an important relationship between a body’s mass, force and acceleration. (F = ma)
• Lastly, the third law of motion states the relation between the forces of two colliding bodies, and that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. 

Newton's Law of Gravitation: 

Sir Newton also explained how each body in the universe is attracted to another with a universal force, named as the gravity or the gravitational force. For example, the moon also attracts the Earth with an equal and opposite force, which causes tides on Earth. 

The results of this law (the formula for the universal law of gravitation) are valid for every object in the universe, discovered till now. 

Calculus: 

He independently developed the fundamental principles of integral and differential calculus and differential equations, which are essential for the study of modern science and engineering. 

Optics and Light: 

Newton had also studied the nature of light and colours to a great extent. He discovered that the white light we see is not a single beam of white but a whole spectrum of different colours of a rainbow. He also discovered that the light can not only scatter into its component colours when passed by a prism but also be recomposed into white light by putting a second prism. 

Newtonian Fluids: 

Sir Isaac Newton also introduced the concept of Newtonian fluids, a type of fluid with constant viscosity regardless of its shear pressure rate. It is a fundamental concept in fluid mechanics and engineering applications. 

4.0About Sir Isaac Newton: Achievements and Awards

Awards and Honours: 

Issac Newton won various awards and honours throughout his lifetime, some of which are: 

He was a member of the Royal Society of London and later became president in 1703. 

• Issac Newton was also a member of the University of Cambridge after winning the parliamentary elections of Cambridge. 
• He was also a warden in the Royal Mint, an institution for the production of local English currency of that time. Later, for his dedication and work, he was appointed the master of the Mint. 
• In 1705, he received knighthood from Queen Anne and earned the title of “Sir”, hence now known as Sir Issac Newton. 

Achievements: 

Apart from his great scientific achievements, Newton also achieved success in various fields, such as: 

• Newton built a reflecting telescope, the world's first telescope, which uses a mirror in place of a lens. This discovery has widely increased the quality of telescopes by reducing chromatic aberration. 
• He extended the mathematical principles of the binomial theorem and gave a generalised binomial theorem. 
• As a warden and master of the royal mint, he also introduced the coinage reforms to prevent counterfeiting. 

5.0Important Literary Works: