Isaac Newton's Impact On The Modern World

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Whenever I do not know an answer to a question on a physics exam, I just write “Newton” as the answer and frequently get the answer right. Everyone knows of Isaac Newton, but not everyone can comprehend how impactful his contributions were to humanity. Isaac Newton, arguably one of the most influential scientists to ever live, made a myriad of contributions that paved the way to the modern world. By promoting the scientific method and critical thinking, he successfully sparked the scientific revolution that transformed the society and changed the way people thought and believed in in the 17th century. Isaac Newton, known as the founder of modern science, changed the course of history forever because he invented calculus, discovered the laws …show more content…

One day in Autumn while Newton was still a college student studying in Cambridge, an apple fell and hit his head. Newton was intrigued that the apple fell downward and not in any other directions. He reasoned that it fell not because the apple was heavy, but because heavier matter attracts lighter matter; a concept called gravitation. He then asked if the apple fell, why didn’t the moon fall as well. According to the inverse square law of gravity, the moon does fall. He realized that he needed a higher form of mathematics to solve the falling moon problem, and invented calculus in order to solve problems involving falling bodies and curvature (Kaku). Through reading about the theories of Aristotle and Descartes, he learned that light can be separated into different colors when shined through a prism. He tested the theory and discovered that if he used a second prism to receive the colors of the first prism, he could turn the factors of light into a single, white beam. As a consequence of his extensive research, he found out that different wavelengths experienced different gravitational pull and proved that an object cannot generate color, but is absorbing everything except that color one sees (Pascal, 46). In Newtonian times, physics and calculus together paved the way to the understanding of universe. After Newton discovered gravity, he theorized that the sun’s force that holds the planets in orbitals must be the same force as the falling apple. By expanding Galileo’s principle of motions, he created the three laws of motions that were the basis of physics, and supported his idea of a mechanical, clock-like universe (Whipps). In his lifespan, Newton formulated and solved many different questions regarding the universe and the physical world, and made important discoveries and laws along the

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