Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (World Philosophers and Their Works)
At a glance:
- Author: Sir Isaac Newton
- First Published: 1687
- Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Science and technology
- Subjects: Philosophy or philosophers, Nature, Science or scientists, God, Seventeenth century, Mathematics or mathematicians, Physics or physicists, Deism
Context
In the summer of 1684, the astronomer Edmond Halley asked Isaac Newton for his thoughts on planetary motion. Newton’s response, based on his early mathematical calculations, was that the planets would travel around the Sun in elliptical paths. Some months later, Newton provided Halley with a written mathematical proof of his prediction. At Halley’s request, Newton then set about to further explain the forces of nature that governed the motion of objects, including the movement of celestial bodies. By July 5, 1687, the results of this work appeared as the first...
[The entire page is 2220 words long]
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