Sir Isaac Newton developed calculus, natural forces, and optics. Newton was born onChristmas Day in 1642. His father had died before he was born, but he was still given hisfather's name (Westfall 17). Isaac stayed with his grandparents when his mother went tolive with her second husband. While living with his grandparents he attended day schoolnearby (Westfall 17). After his grandmother died and Newton was seventeen, his mothertook him out of school and brought him back to the family farm. She tried to teach himhow to run the farm and manage the estate; this was a failure. In all of his spare time hereturned to inventing and building machines. Newton's uncle and old schoolmaster sawthat he was in the wrong trade and urged his mother to prepare him to attend theUniversity. His uncle's efforts paid off; in 1660 he returned to Grantham to finish grammarschool and prepare for the university. In June of 1661 Newton entered Trinity College,Cambridge (Westfall 17). At Cambridge Newton studied mathematics. This is whenNewton first started to make many discoveries. He made most of his important discoveriesthere: pure mathematics, theory of gravitation, and optics, all before he even graduatedcollege. Newton made contributions to all branches of mathematics. Modern study ofaerodynamics and the science of hydrodynamics would be impossible without theprinciples of the calculus. Newton wrote Philosophiae Principia Mathematica(Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), which is usually known by the last twowords. "In the book Newton codified Galileo's findings into the three laws of motion."(Wilson online). Newton formulated three laws of motion, and resulting from them the lawof universal gravitation. His laws of motion are the natural laws of mechanics. Newton'sthree laws of motion are: 1. The law of Inertia- an object at rest tends to stay at rest unlessacted upon by an outside force. 2. 2nd Law- an unbalanced force applied to an object wil...
