I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me. – Sir Isaac Newton
In every century at least one legend born to decode the mystery of our mother nature. A tiny baby given little chance of survival was born March 31, 1727, #Kensington, #London, United Kingdom on Christmas morning. His father was died before he came in this universe. Even his mother left him with his grandmother at the age three and married a man from nearby village. He grown up in his grandmother family. This boy by literature and poetry but loved mechanics and technology.
Newton's childhood home of Woolsthorpe Manor, Lincolnshire.
He always tried to know the nature and have an enthusiasm to invent something. This man contribution not only in every spare of science but also in British economy.
Do you know who is that man?
He is the greatest scientist Sir Isaac Newton. If this man did not born maybe rocket will not fly, no machine will build, even we must wait up to today's for knowing about gravity.
Most Famous Discoveries of Newton.
- For modern classical mechanics he gives three laws, generally its call Laws of motion. (In my future post I will discuss about it.)
- Discovery of gravitational law. This governing law is now used to send the spacecraft in space, this law was used to model of solar system.
- Discovery of modern language of nature called calculus.
Discovery of the Law of Gravitation
In our modern civilization #gravity is the one of the greatest discovery. People also thought that we are the best creature of universe. Back in days people thought that earth in the center of universe. Since we are the center of universe so every planet, sun, different starts are circulation to keep us in center. Newton was the first person who first time thought the there is something behind to fall everything in ground.
The story of the falling apple has became part of the mythology that surrounds Newton, as Robert Hannah's 19th Century portrait shows
There is a common gossiped that one-day Newton was sitting in apple tree, suddenly an apple fall. He suddenly thought that why apply did not go upside or different angle or in parabolic shape path. After thinking a lot he finally conclude that there is something attractive force behind this, and because of that apple fall to ground.
He gave a name of that attractive force called Gravity. Then he looked to the moon. He asked himself if gravity interact all thing then why the moon is not falling toward the earth. Then the start mathematical calculation. His mathematical analysis showed him that the moon in continuously falling toward the earth, but because of centripetal acceleration it moves toward the earth in an orbit.
Newton Cannon Experiment
The fallowing figure simplify the gravitation.
Moon is rotating around the earth.
He gave the mathematical formula for gravitation.
Newton’s Inventions
Newton wasn’t just an abstract theoretician, but also a practical experimenter, as his research in optics reveals. Here are some of his widely and lesser known inventions, besides his lofty theoretical physics triumphs.
- The perfect coin
- Reflecting Telescope
The perfect coin
Maybe you notice the ridges on the edge of a U.S. quarter. Do you know how does it come? In the 17th century, the Great Britain economy were in crisis. Everywhere was forged currency and often the metal in a coin was worth more than the face value of the coin itself. Newton oversaw a huge project to recall the old currency, and issue a more reliable one. Always methodical, Newton kept a database of counterfeiters, and prosecuted them with a puritanical fury. He attempted to make Britain's currency the most stable in the world. He was appointed Master of the Mint in 1700 and held the post for the rest of his life.
British Coin design by Newton
Reflecting Telescope
Inquiry into the nature of light – Opticks
This great man was fascinated in the field of optics and surprisingly he, made some major discoveries. He did lots of experiment using lens and prism. Using prisms and lenses, he studied the refraction and diffraction of light. Finally, he wrote a book on optics named – #Opticks.
Here are some of his most important findings.
- He discovered that light is composed of different component of wavelength. To show it he used a prism. When white light passed through the prism it split its main constitute part. It’s the same effect which leads to the formation of rainbows in the sky. Through this finding, he overturned the prevalent notion since Aristotelian times which stated that light was inherently white and colorless.
Light Scattering experiment
- He asked himself, how the various color arise? Also, he found the result, his experiment show that different color comes from reflection and transmission of light and primarily from selective absorption of light by materials. He also found that the basic cause behind this interaction with matter.
- He predicted dispersion and aberration of light in telescope. He used his knowledge to build his first telescope. During his investigation in optics, Newton also developed an alternative telescope design, which side-stepped some of the inherent flaws of the prevalent refraction-based design. What is now known as reflecting telescope.
- Instead of using a lens to focus the light from a star, Newton used a mirror. After experimenting different metal and polishing method he made his first telescope in 1668. The Newtonian telescope is designed with a paraboloid mirror at the base which reflects the incoming light onto a slanted flat secondary mirror. This flat mirror ultimately reflects the collected light to an eyepiece for observation. Besides solving the problem of chromatic aberration – the bane of refracting telescopes, it is also comparatively cheaper to build.
In mid1660s Newton was studding light and he found that white light is consist of seven different colors light. When light passes through a prism the different colors separate and are discernible. The same thing happens with a lens but to a much lesser degree. Newton thought that it would be impossible to get rid of chromatic aberration as long as lenses were used in telescopes. Then he started another type of telescope, called reflection telescope.
Original Reflecting Telescope designed by Newton.
His telescope was shown to the Royal Society of London, one of the most distinguished organizations promoting science. The demonstration was so successful that Newton was elected to membership to the Royal Society immediately. Here is the basic diagram of reflecting telescope.
Reflector: Diagram of a reflecting telescope.
Credit: Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum
References
- https://www.biography.com/people/isaac-newton-9422656
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_law_of_universal_gravitation
Please inform me by giving your valuable comment and upvote, how did you like my post.
