The publication of Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica is widely considered an extraordinary event in the history of science. In the Principia, Newton introduced a system of mechanical explanation of the world that revolutionized physics. Of particular importance in the Principia was Newton’s mathematical demonstration of the existence of the force of gravity, which he demonstrated to be at work in a wide range of phenomena. But as revolutionary as Newton’s discovery and demonstration was, the Principia also represented a revolution in the goals of science. Newton’s Principia helped to shift the course of science from an effort to “find first causes” into an attempt to “establish a set of principles … to predict and to retrodict the phenomena of the physical world.”
While the publishing of the Principia Mathematica can be seen as a single revolutionary moment in the history of science, it is also important to recognize the historical context that provided for its publication. During the seventeenth century, scientific inquiry was changing in a way that created space for a genius like Newton to make and publish his discoveries. Central to these changes was the emergence of a “scientific community,” a group of individuals bonded by the common goal of finding new scientific knowledge. Newton was an active participant in the emerging scientific community, as a member and eventual president of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Natural Knowledge. In this paper, I will investigate the role that the Royal Society for the Promotion of Natural Knowledge played in the production, publication, and circulation of Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica, his most important work. I will argue that the Royal Society fostered its...
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In this essay I will be using the Calendar of State Papers volume one. These hold the state papers of King James II from the time of February to December 1685. The book contains sets of letters and papers, letter books, petitions and miscellaneous regarding King James II at the time of 1685. The entire book will not be used in the document analysis, but the letters that were used to communicate with Richard Talbot will be the source of the Document analysis. Before the 1680’s King James who was then known as James Duke of York, became friends with Talbot when they spent time in Belgium due to difficulties back at home in Ireland and England. The friendship that was between was very strong which resulted in the in thrust between the two men and saw Richard Talbot heritage the title of Earl of Tyrconnell on 7 May 1685.[1]
Antoni and Hook were known for the development of the microscope. Before Antoni improved the microscope, the microscope could only magnify objects 20 or 30 times their natural size. Antoni, a Dutch lens-maker, learned to grind a lens that magnified over 200 times. One of Antoni’s inspirations came from a publication by Robert Hooke’s book Micrographia. In this book the term cell was used to describe the basic unit of a structure in plants and animal life. Hooker wrote about his observations through various lenses. Newton was the most important figure in the scientific revolution because of his book the Principia. In this publication Newton describes the universe and its guidelines. In this he created the universal law of gravity and its mathematical equation. He demonstrates that every object exerts an attraction to a greater or lesser degree on all objects. The Principia led to the creation of the Royal Society in
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Born on January 4, 1643, Isaac Newton is a renowned physicist and mathematician. As a child, he started off without his father, and when he was three years old, his mother remarried and left to live with her second husband. Newton was left in the hands of his grandmother. After getting a basic education at the local schools, he was sent to Grantham, England to attend the King’s School. He lived with a pharmacist named Clark. During his time at Clark’s home, he was interested in his chemical library and laboratory. He would amuse Clark’s daughter by creating mechanical devices such as sundials, floating lanterns, and a windmill run by a live mouse. Isaac Newton’s interest in science at an early age foreshadows how Isaac would be led into the
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