Biography
Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
Scientist and Mathematician
"If I have been able to see further, it was only
because I stood on the shoulders of giants."
Isaac Newton was born on December 25,1642 in Woolsthorpe, near Grantham in Lincolnshire, England. He was born the same year of Galileo death. Newton is clearly the most influential scientist who ever lived. His accomplishments in mathematics, optics, and physics laid the foundations for modern science and revolutionized the world.
Newton was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge where he lived from 1661 to 1696. During this period he produced the most of his work on mathematics. In 1696 he was appointed Master of the Royal Mint, and moved to London, where he resided until his death.
As mathematician, Newton invented integral calculus, and jointly with Leibnitz, differential calculus. He also calculated a formula for finding the velocity of sound in a gas which was later corrected by Laplace.
Newton made a huge impact on theoretical astronomy. He defined the laws of motion and universal gravitation which he used to predict precisely the motions of stars, and the planets around the sun. Using his discoveries in optics Newton constructed the first reflecting telescope. Newton died in London on March 20,1727 and was buried in Westminster Abbey, the first scientist to be accorded this honor.
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