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Isaac Newton Facts

Isaac Newton

Facts about Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton Biography Summary: Isaac Newton was an English mathematician and physicist who is famous for discovering gravity and making significant contributions towards the study of natural science and mathematics.

This incredible natural philosopher is regarded as one of the most influential scientists in the world as he played a key role in setting the foundations of modern physics. He dedicated his life to research and made a number of important discoveries long before modern science was developed.

Isaac Newton Fact Sheet: Who was Isaac Newton? The following short biography and fact sheet provides interesting facts about the life, times and history of Isaac Newton, the famous English scientist.

Isaac Newton Fact File Biography: Lifespan: 1642 – 1727 *** Full Name: Isaac Newton was also known as Sir Isaac Newton *** Date of Birth (Birthday): He was born on January 4, 1643 *** Place of Birth: Isaac Newton was born in Lincolnshire in England *** Family background: His father was a farmer called Isaac Newton *** Education: Isaac Newton began his education at The King's School in Grantham *** Isaac Newton died on 20 March 1727 ***

Isaac Newton Fact 1: Isaac Newton was born on December 25, 1642 according to the Julian Calendar. In terms of the new style date system, he was born on January 4, 1643. His place of birth was Woolsthorpe Manor, Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, Lincolnshire in England.

Isaac Newton Fact 2: He was an English mathematician and physicist who is remembered today for being one of the most important scientists in the world. He is most famous for the discovery of gravity, optics, motion and mathematics, and for developing the laws of modern physics.

Isaac Newton Fact 3: He was named Isaac Newton after his father who died 3 months before his birth. His mother was called Hannah Ayscough. She remarried and left Isaac Newton in the care of his grandmother when he was three years old. This impacted him, particularly later in life as he had notable insecurities. Isaac Newton never married and he didn't have any children.

Isaac Newton Fact 4: He attended The King's School in Grantham from the age of 12 to 17. He studied Latin at the school. He went to live with his mother again following her husband's death. She wanted him to become a farmer, like his father, however, Isaac Newton hated farming and fortunately, the head master of his school managed to convince her that school was the best place for him.

Isaac Newton Fact 5: He attended Trinity College in Cambridge from 1661. He worked very hard and was offered a scholarship which allowed him to continue studying at the College. He achieved a B.A. degree in August 1665.

Isaac Newton Fact 6: During his lifetime, he was considered as a natural philosopher, a term that was used to describe the study of nature and the physical universe. He dedicated his life to researching natural science and making important discoveries long before modern science was developed.

Isaac Newton Fact 7: In 1687, his most celebrated work was published under the title 'Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy). The book is considered one of the most influential literary works based on physics as it set the foundations for classical mechanics.

Isaac Newton Fact 8: Classical mechanics can be described as the mathematical study and physical laws defining the motion of bodies influenced by a system of forces. The term 'classical mechanics' is commonly known as Newtonian mechanics as it is based largely on the work of the incredible scientist, Isaac Newton.

Isaac Newton Fact 9: He made significant developments towards the discovery of optics. He studied the behavior and properties of light and its interaction with matter. He designed and built a reflecting telescope in 1668 to aid his study of optics.

Isaac Newton Fact 10: In 1672, he published his work on light, optics and color. His discoveries were republished at a later date under as part of a book called 'Newton's Opticks: Or, A treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections and Colours of Light.'

Isaac Newton Fact 11: A fellow English natural philosopher by the name of Robert Hooke caused many problems for Isaac Newton. He often condemned Newton's theories and argued that his discoveries were incorrect. On more than one occasion, he accused Isaac Newton of plagiarism, one example of this followed Newton's publication of 'Principia', Robert Hooke claimed that he had discovered the theory of inverse squares.

Isaac Newton Fact 12: Isaac Newton was criticized at times by other scientists such as Robert Hooke. He found it particularly difficult to deal with criticism and viewed it as a personal attack on his character. He was known for having outbursts of rage during his lifetime. He would spend long periods of time alone where he could conduct his studies in peace.

Isaac Newton Fact 13: He moved to London in 1696 in order to begin work for the government as warden of the Mint. He was promoted to master of the Mint in 1699 and remained in the position until his death in 1727. He lived with his niece, her name was Catherine Barton.

Isaac Newton Fact 14: Along with a 17th Century, German polymath and philosopher called Gottfried Leibniz, Isaac Newton is credited for the developed of the mathematical study of change, otherwise referred to as Calculus.

Isaac Newton Fact 15: Convection cooling is sometimes known as ‘Newton's law of cooling’. He formulated the law of cooling which stipulates that the rate of heat loss of a body is proportional to the difference in temperatures between the body and its surroundings while under the effects of a breeze.

Isaac Newton Fact 16: He attempted to measure the speed of sound in air which he computed as 979 feet per second (298 m/s). His calculations were incorrect as he was approximately 15% too low. He hadn't considered the influence of fluctuating temperature; an aspect that was discovered later by a French scholar known as Pierre-Simon.

Isaac Newton Fact 17: He introduced simple mathematical models of fluids that account for viscosity. The fluids were named 'Newtonian fluids' in recognition of Isaac Newton who had discovered the relation between the rates of shear strain and shear stress for such fluids in differential form.

Isaac Newton Fact 18: He devoted a great deal of time to the study of mathematics and made many important developments towards the power series, approximating the roots of a function, the binomial theorem to non-integer exponents, and classifying the cubic plane curves.

Isaac Newton Fact 19: He studied the chronology of the Bible and believed that it could reveal the date of creation. He wrote essays and literary works relevant to his interpretation of the Bible.

Isaac Newton Fact 20: He died on March 20, 1727 in his sleep in London, England. He is buried in Westminster Abbey in London.

Influence and Legacy: Isaac Newton was an influential English scientist and mathematician who made some of the world's greatest discoveries. He is considered one of the most inspiring scientists, not only of the 17th Century, but of all time.

Short Facts about Isaac Newton for Kids
The above short facts detail interesting information about the life, milestones, history and key events that occurred during the life of  Sir Isaac Newton. A fast, simple way to present a short biography of Isaac Newton with important dates and info that provides details such as the date of birth (birthday), place of birth, education, family, work and career. An ideal educational resource for kids, schools, teachers and social studies.

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