UPSC » UPSC CSE Study Materials » General Awareness » Understanding Isaac Newton’s Law, His Life and His Legacy

Understanding Isaac Newton’s Law, His Life and His Legacy

Isaac Newton was born at Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire in England, on December 25, 1642, and died in London on March 20, 1727. He was an English physicist and mathematician who was the pinnacle of the Scientific Revolution in Europe. Although Isaac Newton is known for his contributions to optics and mathematics, his biggest contribution remains to formulate the three laws of motion, which are the cornerstones of modern physics.

He was a member of the English Parliament for Cambridge University from 1689 to 1701. 

Isaac Newton’s Law

Isaac Newton established a new concept of science by principle. He developed his three principles to explain why the planets’ orbits are ellipses rather than circles, which he succeeded in doing, but it turned out that he presented a lot more.

Issac Newton’s law turned out to be the guiding idea for understanding any motion in general in physics. Isaac Newton’s laws are divided into three categories.

  • Isaac Newton’s first law

Isaac Newton’s first law asserts that if a body is at rest or moving in a straight path at a constant speed, it will remain at rest or continue to move in a straight line at a constant speed until acted upon by force.

  • The second law of Isaac Newton

The second law of Isaac Newton is a quantitative description of a force’s effects on a body’s motion. It asserts that the force imposed on a body equals the time rate of change of its momentum in both magnitude and direction.

  • The third law of Isaac Newton

When two bodies contact, Isaac Newton’s third law states that they apply forces to each other that are equal in magnitude and opposing in direction. The law of action and reaction is another name for the third law.

Isaac Newton Inventions

Isaac Newton’s inventions make quite a big list. The details of which are as follows.

  • Gravity: 

It is Isaac Newton’s most notable discovery, and this gravitational force theory helped explain how the planets and the Sun move.

  • Calculus:

 He created an entirely new branch of mathematics. These new mathematics was given the term ‘fluxions’ by him. It is currently known as calculus. Advanced engineering and science employ this form of mathematics.

  • Reflecting Telescope:

 In 1668, Isaac Newton devised the reflecting telescope. Mirrors reflect light and create a picture in this telescope. In the discipline of astronomy, these reflecting telescopes are utilised.

  • Laws of Motion: 

He introduced three fundamental physics laws, laying the foundation of classical mechanics. Those three laws are: the – Law of Inertia, Laws of Action and Reaction, and the third law states that acceleration is proportional to force.

  • Scientific Reasoning Rules

He defined scientific methodology as a set of four norms for reasoning in science. Isaac Newton created the universal law of nature by applying these four universal rules.

  • The Rings of Isaac Newton:

Isaac Newton noticed an interference pattern created by light reflection between two surfaces, a spherical and a flat surface, in 1717. Isaac Newton’s Rings are the name for this circular design.

Isaac Newton Biography

 Isaac Newton was born at Wools Thorpe, Lincolnshire, England, on December 25, 1643, and died in London on March 20, 1727. His maternal grandmother raised Isaac Newton after his mother’s second marriage. Throughout his life, Isaac Newton made substantial contributions to science. He is credited with inventing calculus and establishing a comprehensive understanding of optics. But it was his work on forces that he was most famous for, particularly the establishment of a universal law of gravitation and his laws of motion. Isaac Newton devoted himself to his work as an adult. He had no hobbies and never married. 

When he was around 80 years old, Newton started having trouble with digestion and had to start watching what he ate. Isaac Newton blacked out in March 1727 after suffering from acute abdominal discomfort, and he died the next day on the 31st of March in1727. Isaac Newton was raised in an extended household that included his mother, grandmother, one half-brother, and two half-sisters after his stepfather died in 1653. Isaac started attending Grantham’s Free Grammar School shortly after this.

Conclusion

Isaac Newton’s first rule of motion reflecting telescope was one of the legendary scientist Isaac Newton’s many creations. Scientific Reasoning Principles Isaac Newton was a talented scientist who dedicated his life to the pursuit of knowledge. He never married and spent his entire life working to further science. Isaac Newton’s scientific contributions have made the world’s issues much easier to solve today. Science has never forgotten Isaac Newton, who was and always will be one of his century’s top scientists. Isaac Newton’s inventions will continue to remind us of him and benefit the scientific world for the rest of the world and will always be remembered by science lovers all over the world in golden words.

faq

Frequently asked questions

Get answers to the most common queries related to the UPSC Examination Preparation.

What has been Isaac Newton's contribution to the world?

Answer- During his lifetime, Isaac Newton made a substantial contribution to s...Read full

What impact did Isaac Newton's laws have on the world?

Answer- Isaac Newton’s theory helped establish that all objects, no matter how little or huge, are affected by...Read full

What was Isaac Isaac Newton's most significant contribution?

Answer- Although Isaac Newton is highly renowned for his discoveries in optics (white light composition) and mathema...Read full

What are some of Isaac Newton's inventions?

Answer- Gravity: – It is Isaac Newton’s most notable discovery. ...Read full