Sir Isaac Newton was not only one of the greatest physicists ever, but he was also one of those scientists who contributed a lot to mathematics. He made most of his mathematical contributions when he was first a student and then a professor at Trinity College, Cambridge between the years 1661 and 1696. Our world would not be the same today without the important discoveries of this farmer’s son.

The years 1665-66 were one of the worst for England when the bubonic plague devastated all the great cities. 1665 is also the year Newton earned his bachelor’s degree. When the school was closed to combat the plague, Newton retired to the family farm at Woolsthorpe. During those two years that he spent in seclusion doing nothing but dedicating all his time to physics and mathematics, Newton discovered the law of gravity and made important advances in mathematics.

Here’s a list of the 23-year-old Newton’s accomplishments during those two pivotal years:

He discovered the law of universal gravitation, invented calculus (at the same time but independently of Leibnitz in Germany), further developed the binomial theorem, and began his lifelong studies in optics and color theory.

There, during his two-year stay at the farm, Newton discovered and proved that the same force that pulls a rock toward the earth (i.e., gravity) is the same force that pulls the moon toward the earth and holds it back. in orbit. He later developed this into a “Universal Principle of Gravitation” which said that two objects in the universe are attracted to each other in direct proportion to the product of their masses, and in inverse proportion to the square of the distance between them.

Newton is best known for his 3 laws of motion:

Law 1 (Law of Inertia): If an object is at rest and there is no net force acting on it, it will remain at rest. If it is moving at a constant velocity and no net force acts on it, it will continue to move at that constant velocity.

Law 2: F = ma, or: the net force acting on an object is its mass multiplied by the object’s acceleration. Therefore, if an object is moving at a constant velocity, that is, if its acceleration is zero, then there is zero net force acting on it.

Law 3: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If A pushes on B with a force of F, B also pushes on A in the opposite direction with a force of F. The Sun pulls on the Earth and the Earth pulls on the Sun with the same force!

During 1668 and 1669, Newton worked on optics at the University of Cambridge.

1669 is another important year in Newton’s life as it is when Prof. Isaac Barrow gave up the famous “Lucas chair” at Cambridge and offered it to Newton as its second occupant. Assured of a good permanent position, Newton continued his studies on the nature of light and optics with renewed vigour.

Here is a summary of Newton’s various contributions to the science of optics, some of which later culminated in his 1704 book also titled “Optics.”

Newton developed instruments to grind lenses into shapes other than spheres. He is the first in human history to discover that when light passes through a prism, sunlight is split into a bundle of rays of different colors. Based on that observation, he developed the first successful explanation of rainbows.

The great physicist has also discovered the telescope that is still known by his name today; he invented a reflecting microscope in 1672, as well as a sextant that was independently discovered in 1731 by J. Hadley.

Yet for all his bold discoveries in optics and the theory of colors, Newton came under vehement attack during the 1670s. Sometimes it takes less than genius minds a little lag to catch up with greatest discoveries in human history.

Even if Newton had died at twenty-five, his place in the world of mathematics and science would have been secure enough. But he lived for another 60 years and further expanded the frontiers of human reason and science, thanks to his extraordinary gifts as a physicist and mathematician.