Chapter 92 newton, father of modern science

The splendid culture of ancient Greece was buried in the long darkness and eclipsed. In the 15th century, the banner of the Renaissance was flying on the European continent, and natural science gained new life and flourished.Scientific masters such as Copernicus, Tycho, Kepler, Galileo and Descartes were successively famous in Europe.A scientific revolution broke through the traps of feudalism and scholasticism in the Middle Ages, and continued to win. Newton, a great scientist and the founder of the theoretical system of classical physics, was born in the era of new changes in European politics, economy and scientific culture.

On January 4, 1643, Newton was born in a yeoman family in Walsop, a small town in Lincolnshire, England.Newton was born prematurely, weighing only three pounds, and midwives and his relatives were concerned whether he would survive.No one expected that this seemingly insignificant little thing would become a giant of science, and live to be 85 years old. Newton did not show a remarkable scientific genius in his youth. He was just like ordinary people, but his academic performance was slightly better.If anything, Newton was different from other kids, it was that he was quite hands-on.Every time he made something, he always worked hard without saying a word.If it is not done properly, it will be dismantled and redone, never sloppy.He has made a waterwheel that can move; a water clock that can measure accurate time; he has also made a waterwheel and windmill linkage device, so that the windmill can be driven by water power when there is no wind.

On September 3, 1658, a rare storm hit England.The wind roared, and the house of the Newton family swayed, as if it was about to collapse.Fascinated by the power of nature, Newton couldn't help but want to test the power of hurricanes.He braved the storm and came to the backyard, running against the wind for a while, and jumping with the wind for a while.In order to accept more wind force, he simply opened his cloak and jumped upwards, looking for the landing point, and carefully measuring the distance to see how far the strong wind blows him. In 1661, 18-year-old Newton was admitted to Cambridge University after graduating from high school.This is one of the oldest universities in the UK, and it is the highest institution of higher learning that young students across the country yearn for.Although Newton was a top student in middle school, Cambridge University has concentrated top students from all over the world, and his academic performance cannot keep up with others, especially the gap in mathematics is even bigger.Newton was not discouraged, just like he liked to think about problems in his youth, he studied steadily until he understood thoroughly.During his first two years in college, in addition to studying arithmetic, algebra, and trigonometry, he also studied Euclid's "Elements of Geometry" seriously to make up for the shortcomings in the past.He studied Descartes' "Geometry" and mastered the coordinate method proficiently.These mathematical knowledge laid a solid foundation for Newton's later scientific research.

In 1665, at the age of 22, Newton graduated from Cambridge University.During the two years of living in the country, he invented calculus, discovered the composition of white light, and began to study the problem of gravity. In January 1666, one day Newton invited his mother and younger siblings to his room.The room was dark, except for a ray of sunlight passing through a small hole in the window, casting a white spot of light on the wall.Newton directed their attention to the dots of light on the wall.He held a self-made prism in his hand and placed it at the entrance of the light so that the light was refracted to the opposite wall, and a magnificent colored ribbon suddenly appeared near the light spot.Like the rainbow that appears in the clear sky after rain, this ribbon is composed of seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue and purple.Newton and his relatives watched the artificially reproduced natural scene together.Later, Newton used a second prism to synthesize seven monochromatic lights into white light.He announced the birth of spectroscopy with white light decomposition experiments.

While exploring the mystery of light and color, Newton was also exploring the mystery of gravity. One afternoon in the autumn of 1666, Newton was a little tired after working for a long time, so he went for a walk in the backyard.He wandered to the apple tree and sat on a bench to watch the autumn colors of the fields.He couldn't help thinking of the mystery of gravity again, and his thoughts began to churn. Suddenly, an apple fell from the tree.Why do ripe apples fall down?Earth is attracting it?Yes, it is the attraction of the earth!The apples fall down when they are ripe, and the stones thrown into the air also fall down, because the earth is attracting them.Everything on the ground is attracted by the earth.The reason why the moon revolves around the earth is also because the earth is attracting it.Thinking about it, Newton's eyes flashed a strange light. He had thought about the problem for a long time, and finally found a clue to solve it.

The 24-year-old Newton discovered that there is a gravitational force between the heavens and the earth, and this gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance. More than 10 years later, Newton brilliantly proved that this law is exactly right. In a room at the Royal Society in London, January 1684, Halley, Hooke and Ryan discuss the gravitational force acting between the sun and the planets.Although these three scientists all realized that gravitation is inversely proportional to the square of distance, they were unable to prove this point due to their lack of mathematical analysis ability.They studied it over and over again for several months, but they still couldn't figure it out.

Halley thought of Newton, who was known for his assiduous research. In August 1684, Halley came to Cambridge University from London to ask Newton for advice.At that time, Newton had completed the demonstration from Kepler's laws to universal gravitation. Halley deeply realized the importance of Newton's calculation and implored Newton to publish his work.Newton was persuaded and began to write the epoch-making masterpiece "Mathematical Principles of Natural Science".This great work has encountered great difficulties in terms of content, structure and selection of mathematical methods.

With his extraordinary intelligence, Newton sacrificed his rest time, gave up entertainment activities, wrote day and night, and finally succeeded. In April 1686, the first volume, the second, and the third volume were completed...it was not finished until the spring of the following year.Published in its entirety in the summer of 1687, it was acclaimed by the scholarly community and quickly sold out. In Newton's masterpiece "Principles", he proposed the "Three Laws of Motion".These three laws and the law of universal gravitation together constitute the main pillars of the magnificent mechanics building.This mechanical building is the base for the development of modern astronomy and mechanics, the base for the development of engineering technology such as machinery and architecture, and the base for the rule of mechanical materialism in the field of natural science.Newton not only proved the law of universal gravitation mathematically, but also established mechanics as a complete, rigorous and systematic subject.Since then, physics has become a mature natural science.

The famous British poet Alexander Pope wrote: Nature and the laws of nature are hidden in darkness, God said: "Let Newton go!"