Isaac Newton: 8 key ideas
The core ideas of Isaac Newton, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.
- IDEA 1 OF 8
A lonely boy became a genius
Gleick describes Newton's lonely childhood in Woolsthorpe, England, where his father had died before he was born and his mother left him with his grandmother.
He grew up solitary, curious and secretive.
- IDEA 2 OF 8
Plague years brought discoveries
When plague closed Cambridge University, Newton returned home and made major discoveries in mathematics, optics and gravity.
These years were extraordinarily productive. Gleick presents this quiet time as one of the most productive periods in the history of science.
- IDEA 3 OF 8
He invented calculus
Newton developed calculus, a mathematical tool for studying change and motion.
He later quarrelled with Leibniz over who invented it first. Gleick shows that this quarrel became bitter, because each side wanted credit for the same idea.
- IDEA 4 OF 8
Light is made of colours
Newton used prisms to show that white light is made of many colours.
His work on optics changed science. Gleick shows that this was a surprising idea at a time when many people thought white light was pure.
- IDEA 5 OF 8
The Principia explained motion
Newton's Principia set out his laws of motion and universal gravitation.
It explained how planets move and why objects fall. Gleick shows that one set of rules could explain things happening on Earth and in the sky.
- IDEA 6 OF 8
He studied alchemy and religion
Gleick shows that Newton spent much time on alchemy and religious study.
He saw these as part of understanding the world. Gleick suggests that Newton did not see a sharp line between these subjects and what we now call science.
- IDEA 7 OF 8
He ran the Royal Mint
Later in life, Newton became head of the Royal Mint, where he pursued counterfeiters.
He was strict and effective. Gleick shows that he took the work seriously and used his sharp mind to protect the nation's money.
- IDEA 8 OF 8
He was a complex man
Gleick portrays Newton as brilliant but difficult, secretive and quarrelsome.
His discoveries shaped modern science. Gleick suggests that the same sharp mind that explained the heavens also made him hard to get along with.
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