- Before we begin this lecture Raymond Floods, and I was
sad to learn of the death, two days ago, of Professor John Barrow. John was one of only two people in history to have held to Gresham chairs
in astronomy and geometry. The other person being
back in the 17th century. John was my successor as
Gresham professor of geometry and Raymond's predecessor. And we would like to dedicate this lecture to John Barrows memory. So welcome to the life labors and legacy of England's greatest
scientist and mathematician, Sir, Isaac Newton. He lived from 1642 to 1727,
a long life of 84 years. A book launch today is based on this illustrated Petkin guide which was published earlier this year. Here are some of the
topics we'll be covering. I'll begin with Newtons' early years and the London scientific scene. Raymond will then tell
you about Newton's work in such areas as gravitation, optics, mathematics,
alchemy, and divinity. And I'll conclude with
his later years in London. But first let me set the scene. Isaac Newton was born at
a time of great turmoil. From 1640 relations between
King Charles the first on the left and his
parliament deteriorated leading to the outbreak of
the English civil war in 1642. The year of Newton's birth. Many battles were fought between
the Kings royalist forces the Cavaliers, and the
parliamentarian armies the Roundheads. With the latter prevailing
at the battle of Naisbitt in 1645. The King was later arrested
and convicted of high treason. Among those signing his death warrant was the military leader Oliver Cromwell, whom you can see on the right and in 1649, the King
was executed in London. As we see below. Following the collapse of the monarchy, England became a Republic
known as the Commonwealth with Cromwell as its Lord protector. The civil war, her
concluded with his victory over the royalists and
Charles the first son the future King, Charles the
second fled to the continent. Cromwell died in 1658
and anarchy threatened but eventually parliament was recalled and the monarchy was restored
in 1660, as you can see here with the triumphal return of the new King. Isaac Newton was born here
on Christmas day, 1642 in the tiny Hamlet of
Woolsthorpe in Lincolnshire. His father was an illiterate
but prosperous farmer who lived with his wife, Hannah and on their a 100 acre farm. They raise sheep and cattle
and grew hay, oats and corn. And here's the early drawing. And the view of it as it is today. At his birth, Isaac was very premature and was not expected to survive. He later claimed to have been so little they could
put him in a court pot. Indeed, two women who
sent us collect supplies. Didn't hurry back as they doubted that he'd
be alive on their return. Isaac's father had died just
before his son was born. And when Isaac was just three
years old, Hannah remarried and moved to a nearby village
to live with her new husband an elderly clergymen. Young Isaac was left at Woolsthrope with his maternal grandmother. A period of his life, which
he resented forever after and which may have caused
the neurotic personality that he eventually became. It was certainly an
eventful time to grow up. The civil war was raging and
the King's execution occurred when Isaac was just six years old. But such incidents barely affected him as he attended local schools
to learn to read and write and to carry out
arithmetical calculations. With her new husband, Hannah
produced three children, but in 1653, when Isaac was 10 years old, his stepfather died and
Hannah returned to Woolsthorpe with her new family. Two years later when Isaac was 12, Hannah decided to send
him to school in Grantham, seven miles to the North. At that time, his school
now the King school consisted of this single
room, which still exists. Here the pupils learn to
read, write and speak Latin together with a respite tick
Bible studies and Greek. During his time in Grantham, Isaac lodge in the high street home of the local apothecary. Here he learned about the
composition of medicines and how to mix chemicals an interest that never
left him as you'll see. Isaac was fascinated with making things. According to his later
friend and biographer William Stokely. He busied himself at home
in making knickknacks of diverse sorts of models of wood, furnishing himself with
source hatches hammers and our whole shop of tools, which he'd used with great dexterity. As if he'd been brought up to the trade. Young Isaac filled the house of the long suffering
apothecary with sundials and constructed a four
foot high water clock. He also made kites and paper
lanterns lit by candles and even a working model of a windmill powered by a live mouse
which set it in motion by continually reaching out for corn that had been placed strategically. Isaac studied hard
eventually becoming head boy of the school. But when he reached the age of 17, his mother called him back to Woolsthorpe to manage the estate. But Isaac wasn't cut out for farming. To Hannah's continued frustration. He built dams and streams while his sheep straight
into neighbor's fields, non grandsons market days he'd let his servant
sell the farms produce while he read books and
constructed wooden models. Eventually seeing that Isaac was wasting his time in
farming, his headmaster and his uncle who was a Cambridge graduate persuaded Hannah that Isaac
should return to school and prepare for university. And so in 1661, Newton entered Trinity
college as an undergraduate. Here's the great court
with the college chapel and the great gate on the
far right Newton's room was to the left of the
gate on the first floor. The chapel now contains this famous statue of Newton by Roubiliac. Although Isaac's mother was now a wealthy she gave limited financial support and he initially had to work his passage by carrying out menial tasks such as cleaning the fellow shoes and waiting on table at meal times. These duties ended in 1664, when he was elected of
scholar of the college. Newtons ounce of sympathy with Cambridge is traditional curriculum of Aristotelian science and philosophy. Instead he read books that interested him. Geometry from Euclid and Descartes. Astronomy from Keppra and Galileo philosophy from Thomas Hobbs and contemporary mathematics
from John Wallace of Oxford. He probably received instruction
too from Isaac Barrow. The first holder of
Cambridge is newly created Lucasian chair of mathematics and he graduated with a
bachelor's degree early in 1665. Here's Newton's new
notebook of his expenses during an early visit to
Cambridge included are a Stilton cheese for two shillings. A chamber port for two
shillings and toppers. And a table to jot down the number of my clothes
in the wash for shilling and below is Cambridge's
famous mathematical bridge often claim to be to have
been designed by Newton to require no supporting bolts. It was actually built in 1749, more than 20 years after his death. Meanwhile in 1660, the monarchy had been restored with a return of Charles the second from the continent as we saw. And in the words of the
diarist, John Evelyn, the new King was a Prince of many virtues and many great imperfections. Debonair easy of access,
not bloody nor cruel. He also had a laboratory a new of many Imperial empirical medicines and the easier mechanical mathematics. So the King was interested in science and with his encouragement,
the Royal society of London for improving natural
knowledge was established. Founded to promote experimental science it received its Royal charter in 1662. The engraving on the left from an early history of the society captures the spirit of
restoration science. It shows the crowning of the
King with a Laurel wreath while the surrounding books
and scientific instruments indicate the practical
and experimental interests of the members. Also with Charles as patronage, the Royal observatory
Greenwich was founded in 1675, designed by Christopher Wren. Its purpose was to improve
the accuracy of tables of the moon's motion in
order to help Mariners find their longitude at sea. And while we're on the subject of science, here are two notables who
contributed to the Royal societies early years, Robert
Boyle and Robert Hooke. In the 1650s, they designed an air pump shown on the bottom left to show how a vacuum can exist in nature. Boyle also found the
rule PV equals constant now known as Boyle's law,
which connects the pressure and volume of a gas constant temperature. Meanwhile Hooke had
invented the microscope in the middle and his micrographia of 1665 was the first work to
present such dramatic images as this drawing of a flee. He's also remembered for Hooke's law on the extension of springs
shown here in his diary. And for designing the
universal joint shown below. For over 35 years Hooke
was professor of geometry at Gresham college, where the Royal society held its meetings. As the society's curator experiments he was frequently required to design and present experiments to its members. Meanwhile Newton's Cambridge
career was to be interrupted by the devastation of the great plague. These London scenes show people fleeing from some Paul's cathedral and burying their dead in coffin garden. The dramatic caption reads
surely to load groans of raving sick men, the struggling
pangs of souls departing, servants crying out for
masters wives for husbands parents for children and
children for their mothers. Here he should have met
same frantically running to knock up sextons. There others fearfully
sweating with coffins to steal dead bodies. And by the summer of 1665, the
plague had reached Cambridge and the university closed its
doors and sent everyone away. Newton returns Lincolnshire, and continues his
investigations into mathematics, optics, and gravity as depicted here. Here he laid the foundations for his groundbreaking work in
these subjects as you'll see and many years later, he
recalled his productive years in the rural comm of Lincolnshire writing. In those days, I was in the
prime of my age for invention and minded, mathematics, and philosophy more than at any time since. His discoveries while
still in his early twenties made him one of the world's
leading mathematicians and scientists. The clue to his mind may be found in his unusual
pals of concentration, he could hold a problem in
his mind for days and weeks until it surrendered to him its secrets. In September of 1666 while Newton was making
these momentous discoveries. The great fire of London
destroyed much of the capital city as depicted here. Below is a fire engine of the time, which was clearly inadequate for dealing with fires of such ferocity. But in 1667, Cambridge university reopened and Newton return to Trinity where he was elected a
fellow of the college and began to climb the academic ladder. Within two, when only 26,
he succeeded Isaac Barrow as the Lucasian professor of mathematics. Over the centuries this
position has been held by many distinguished figures,
such as Stephen Hawking. Newton occupied the chair for 32 years before moving to London as you'll see. Let me now hand over to Raymond who will tell you about Newton's
wide ranging achievements. - Thank you Robin, we'll
begin with astronomy. In 1543 Nicholas Copernicus at the top had transformed the subject
by replacing the ancient Greek earth centered system of planetary motion by the sun centered world one. With the earth is just
one of the several planets moving in, circular orbits around it. Some 90 years later Galileo below left compared
the two planetary systems coming out strongly in
favor of Copernicus. This led to his trial and house
arrest by the inquisition, which forced him to recount his views. Galileo determined how
the position velocity and acceleration of a moving
body all vary with time thereby laying the
mathematical foundations that underpinned his belief
that the earth really moves. His work led to further
advances by others. And particularly by Isaac Newton, who was born in the
year that Galileo died. Meanwhile, the German
mathematician and astronomer Yohanas Kepler had proposed that planet travel around
the sun in elliptical orbits rather than circular ones. He also proposed that the line
from the sun to each planet sweeps out equal areas in
equal times as shown here on the right hand side bottom right. So that the planet moves most quickly when it's nearest to the sun. Kepler derive these laws
from observed results from observations and years later, Newton explain why they're true
based on his laws of motion and his universal law of
gravitation, the inverse square law which will now look at. One of the most celebrated
stories in scientific folklore is a tale that recalled in old age. Seeing an Apple fall yes, research shows that the
original Apple was green. He realized that the
gravitational attraction the gravitational force pulling
the Apple to where earth is the same as the force that keeps the moon orbiting the earth and the earth orbiting the sun. As Newton's biographer William
Stokely recalled years later after dinner the weather being
warm, we went into the garden and drank tea under the
shade of some Apple trees only he and myself amidst other discourses he told me he was just
in the same situation when formerly the notion
of gravitation came into his mind. Why should that Apple always to send
perpendicularly to the ground. Thought he to himself occasioned
by the fall of an Apple, as he sat in the contemplative mood. Newton proposed that
the motion of the moon and the planet is governed
by a single universal law of gravitation, the inverse square law. The force of attraction
between two objects varies as the product of their masses and inversely as the square
of the distance between them. So for example, if you double both masses, then the force of attraction
between them will increase by a factor of four. If you increase the distance
between them tenfold then the force of attraction will decrease by a factor of a hundred. One of the most celebrated
stories in scientific folklore is a tale that recalled an old age saying. You have heard that before. The story of the falling
Apple is nice and deeply embedded in popular culture
that is sometimes used without explanation for comic effect as in the cartoon on the
left from punch magazine. And on the cereal packet in the center, Newton is so enjoying his
crunchy not cornflakes that he feels to notice loads
of apples and even a piano, for some reason that descend on his head as the caption at the top says
the gravity of the situation escapes Isaac Newton, and in the 1957 film the story of mankind in casting, that was a (indistinct) even by Hollywood standards, Newton was portrayed by Harpo
Marx of the Marx brothers in the film a whole bushel of apples which seem to land on his
head as he played his harp. 1687, saw the publication of Newton's mathematical
principles of natural philosophy known as the principia. In this book arguably the greatest
scientific book of all time Newton unified terrestrial,
and celestial mechanics for the first time. Investigated the motion of bodies, both on earth and in the
skies in the heavens. He also for the orbits of comets, the variation of our tides, the flattening of the
earth that it's poles due to rotation. Here's approached used
ideas from geometry, with forces velocities,
accelerations, distances and times all represented
by lines and areas. On the left here is an
illustration of that. This is Newton's geometrical proof that the orbit of a planet moving under an inverse square law is an ellipse. Notice all the geometrical
lines and areas right. In the middle is his proof
of Kepler's second law that the planet sweep side
equal areas in equal times. And on the right hand side is his example from his treatise of the system the world Newton exam projecting
an object horizontally from the top of a mountain
with increasing force, unless the speed of projection increases the object lands or falls
further and further away until the speed of projection so increases that although the object is still falling at now circles the earth in the same way that the
moon circles the earth and the earth circles, the sun. Newton began the Principia
with his three laws of motion. The first was already known to Galileo and it States that every body
continues in its state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line unless it is compelled
to change that state by forces impressed on it. The other two laws state
any change in motion is proportional to the force
and is made in the direction of the line in which the force is applied and that the third law to any action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. Newton's cradle shown
on the right top right, is based on the three laws. When an end ball is
raised and then released it strikes the next one but
somewhat counter-intuitively instead of all the remaining balls moving only the one at the far end does because the force of collision
is transmitted through the intervening bowls
and the cartoon shows why science teachers should
never be given playground duty. At this point another of his
contemporaries enters our story in 1684, following disputes
with the Royal Society, within the Royal society, Edmond Halley visited Newton and Cambridge, and asked him for the path of a planet moving under the influence
of an inverse square law. Sir Isaac replied immediately
that it would be in ellipse. Dr. Halley struck with joy and amusement asked him how he knew it. Why said he, I have calculated it were upon Halley asked
him for his calculation without any further delay. Sir Isaac looked among these papers, but could not find it but he promised to rework it
and then sent it to Halley. It was indeed Halley who
coxed and cajoled Newton into writing the Principia. He even paid for its publication because the Royal society had just produced this
expensive history of fishers and had run out of money. Halley's reward from the
society was 50 copies of the history of fishers. Using Newton's laws. Halley attempted to fit
observations of previous comments, recent comments to elliptical orbits suggesting that the
comment of 1682 shown here might be the same as those
observed on previous occasions, such as the battle of Hastings in 1066, shown here in the Bayeux
tapestry tapestry. Halley's comet became his Memorial. When it be at its predicted
return in 1758 59, it lasts visited us in 1986
and it returns again in 2061. This protection of the comets return was our most successful
vindication of Newtonian theory. It demonstrated its power to account for and to predict previously
unexplained phenomenon. Well, we don't know our Newton's
interest in optics began. We know that while an undergraduate, he brought a prism at a fair, or maybe the stimulus
of hooks micrographia. The Robin (indistinct)
started him thinking about colors and their
relation to white light. But anyway, Newton's investigations led them to conclude that white light is composed of different immutable colors as shown above on the left at the top. This form, the basis of his
new theory of light and color and below is Newton's own drawing
of this crucial experiment where the light comes
in through the window is refracted through a
prison, into the colors. And then there is a
screen with holes in it. And one of the colors is led through and refracted through a second prism. And it undergoes no
further change in color, but Newton's first optical contribution to be publicly recognized
was his reflecting telescope on the right. It was only six inches long. It used mirrors instead of lenses to reflect the incoming light. And as result of that,
that avoided the coloring around the edges caused by
lenses in a refracting telescope. This telescope caused a sensation and was responsible for
selection to the Royal society. Newton with his grit
manual skills had designed and built it for himself. Also making the tools that he
needed for its construction. As part of his early investigations Newton wished to discover the effect of altering the curvature
of his own eyeball. The section is not for those
of a nervous disposition. He find that colored
circles could be produced by applying pressure from
a blunt needle placed behind his eye. But for several days afterwards,
he suffered the effects of this dangerous activity on the left is his
description of the experiment. Another important phenomenon
that Newton investigated was the appearance of
colored concentric rings. When two pieces of glass are in contact this pattern is now
known as Newton's rings. As we'll see later, Newton eventually published these researchers
in the 1704 book "Optics" which was viewed by many as a model of hard to do experimental science. It's not widely known that
Newton was interested in music though, not in practical music making for it's recorded, that he
wants saw the composer Handel play on a harpsichord and the
only thing he commented on was the elasticity of Handel's fingers, but Newton was interested
in the arithmetic of musical intervals where
the frequencies of the notes an octave apart or in
the ratio two to one. (flute music) In a perfect fifth are three to two. (flute music) In a Perfect fourth or four to three. (flute music) And so on. Inconsistencies in the scale then (indistinct) led them
to investigate other ratios. Such ratios on the left
is a PAG (indistinct) with its proposed ratios
underneath the keyboard. Newton also tried to link his
ideas on enlightened signed by linking the colors of the
spectrum to the seven notes of the musical scale
as shown on the right. That's why we now say there
are seven colors in the rainbow it's because of Newton. The 17th century also
witnessed the beginning of modern mathematics. Fundamental questions were investigated and new areas were developed
such as coordinate geometry and the calculus. Calculus is made up of two
seemingly unrelated strands. Now I call differentiation
and integration. Differentiation is concerned
with how fast things move or change. And is used to find tangents
to curves, for example. Integration is used to
find the areas of ships, but as the 17th century developed,
it was gradually realized that these two strands
are intimately related. Indeed they're inverse processes. If we follow either by the other, we returned to our starting
point as shown here, if we differentiate and then integrate, we returned to the object that we had. If we start with an object
integrate and then differentiate we return again to the initial object. The connection was explained
by Nutanix England@ and liveliness in Germany, but
with different motivations. Liveliness was concerned
with curves and tangent while Newton focused on motion. How things change with time or flow. Newtons tangent problems
involve velocities. And then as treaters on
flexions flowing quantities he presented rules for calculating them. And on the right, it is it's titled page linking ancient Greek
mathematicians at the bottom left with those in the middle
enjoying traditional 17th century country
pursuits (indistinct). Newton was interested in curves. On the top at the left we see that we're showing that the Greeks
had studied those obtained by slicing a corn and
different ways that gives rise to three basic types of curve, the ellipse the parabola, and the
hyperbola and their equations. When you write them done
involve terms such as X squared, Y squared and X Y. Newton lifted the
corresponding of classifying, so called cubic curves and found that there are no
fewer than 78 different types. And below are two of them. Newton also never shied away
from extensive calculation. This manuscript page of his on
the right shows a calculation of the area under a hyperbola
to 55 decimal places. Found by adding terms
of an infinite series. And in fact, Newton's
use of infinite series was a major contribution to mathematics. Louise mainly remembered
for his work in mathematics and optics and celestial mechanics. Newton spent thousands of hours
over many decades on alchemy and divinity subjects that he knew better than almost anyone else. Because his views were unconventional. He kept secret has extensive
writing on these subjects amounting to over a million words. For many years afterwards,
these works were dismissed as of little value, but recent scholars have
preferred to view them more as connecting with other
aspects of his work. Here's Newton, South chemical laboratory in Trinity college on the
right beyond the trees and by the chapel. For its extensive health,
chemical experiments Newton designed and built
furnaces and other equipment. And twice a year hid himself
away in the laboratory for up to six weeks of frenzied activity often forgetting to eat or sleep. Newton's interest and alchemy can be traced back to the
school days in Grantham, where he learned about
the mixing of chemicals. In the 17th century, alchemy
was the part of chemistry that attempted to imitate
trans mutations in nature, such as the change from
a tadpole to a frog in order to convert one
substance to another. And in particular to change
from ordinary metals, such as lead to silver and gold, the subject involved
experiments with substances, such as mercury, that combined
well with other metals and became intimately tied up
with studies of the occult. On the right is part of a list
drawn up by Newton of metals and there are chemical symbols. While on the left is his drawing
of the philosopher's stone which was supposedly
involved in the process of turning this metals into gold. Newton's views on religion
were also controversial a law believing in a Supreme God, which he described as eternal, infinite, and absolutely perfect. He refused to countenance
the Christian doctrine of the Trinity where the father, son and Holy spirit are considered as one and the same. Newton knew the ancient text
as well as any theologian, having compared them assiduously in their original languages
of Latin Greek and Hebrew. Starting from these
writings, he spent much time in trying to date the creation and using verses from the book of Ezekiel he reconstructed the layout of
Solomon's temple in Jerusalem as shown here on the left. Here too is Newton's study
of biblical prophecy, as presented in the book of Daniel and the revelation of St. John. Newton kept his anti-Trinitarian
views to himself. As there have been considered heretical by both the church of England and the university of Cambridge. However, the statutes of his Lucchean required them to take Holy
orders after seven years and Newton unwilling to do so was expecting to have to resign. But at the last moment, Isaac Barrow is Lucchesean predecessor managed to obtain a special dispensation from the King releasing
Newton from this obligation. And I'll now hand back to Robin to tell us about Newton's moved to London. - Thank you, Raymond. in 1696, Isaac Newton, then in his early fifties left
Cambridge to become warden of the Royal mint in London,
living in the tower of London where the mint was based. For the last 30 years of his life. Our secretive retiring scholar became an influential public figure, gaining position and power which he then ruthlessly
exploited to achieve his aims. On the right is a coining
screw press in operation the person in the middle,
inserted the blanks and removed them after they
were struck by the press. This happened 20 to 30 times per minute. As the balanced arm was
swung back and forth. Newton was an extremely
efficient administrator and political operator who immediately sets a sorting
out the problems of the mint, because he did nothing
in a halfhearted way. He managed to affect
the recoilage necessary to resolve monetary crises in the economy. But his duties went beyond administration. Being responsible for
prosecuting counterfeiters. He recommended their execution when he thought it's appropriate. A task that he undertook
with the same commitment that he used for his academic researchers. So successful was he in reducing forgery that in 1699, he was promoted
to master of the mint. And among Newton's other
activities at the Royal mint. Was to the design of medals, one of these shown below celebrated the coronation
of queen Anne in 1702. And to picked her as the goddess Athena striking down a two headed monster that represented the
threat of Catholic rivals to her throne. During his early years in London, Newton paid little attention
to the Royal society, which was in a bad state financially and where its fellows barely
contributed to his activities. But after the death in
1703 of Robert Hooke with whom Newton had disagreed
on gravity and on light, he reengaged with the society
and was elected as president, a position that he held for over 20 years. And this portrait of him as president was painted at this time. As with the mint, Newton applied
his organizational skills to turning the Royal society around. This Victorian drawing of
a meeting of the society, shows him seated in the center behind a table on which has
laid the society's mace, and below his signature
appears on an election notice of 1712. Newton's appointments as the
Royal society as president seems to have rekindled
his interest in science and in the following year 1704, he brought out optics
his treatise on light written in English rather than in Latin. It was easier to read and to
understand than the Principia and became a popular
book that was accessible to a much wider audience. Newton's success and public recognition were growing rapidly. And in 1705, he was knighted by Queen Anne for services to the state. He was the first British scientist to receive such recognition. Although his health was failing,
Newton continued working in order to ensure that
Newtonian philosophy would spread and become established. He supported and influenced the
appointment of his followers to university positions,
where they could lecture and write books that adopted his approach. But one thing that continued was his capacity to take offense and to become involved in arguments. One of these is a major
disagreement with John Flamsteed the first astronomer Royal over access to Flamsteed's
astronomical observations. But his most notorious
dispute was with Leibniz over the invention of the
calculus with Newton's followers accusing Leibniz of plagiarism. With much ill feeling between
Britain and the continent on this issue. Newton arranged for an
independent commission to investigate it. This was not Newton's finest hour. He personally chose the
members of the commission writing much of the evidence
for them to consider. Unsurprisingly they ruled in his favor. Isaac Newton died age 84 in March 1727 and his body lay in state
in Westminster Abbey for a whole week. At the funeral service, his
coffin was carried by two Dukes, three ELLs, and the Lord chancellor. And as the French writer Voltaire observed he was buried like a King who
had done well by his subjects in the middle is a death mask of Newton that was used when creating his features on his tomb at Westminster
Abbey erected in 1731 where you will find the exhortation, let mortals rejoice that
there has existed such and so great an ornament
of the human race. This shows the extent of his standing and the view of his achievements
among his contemporaries. And since then, his
reputation has hardly faded and he's still considered by many as having the greatest
scientific mind of all time. But what can we say about Newton's legacy? Certainly his Principia
had been an instant success in Britain, Halley praised
it enthusiastically as we'll see while the
antiquary and biographer, John Aubrey talked of the
greatest discovery in nature that ever was since the world's creation. It never was so much as
hinted by any man before. There was also enthusiasm
for the Principia in Italy and the Netherlands, but less so in France where
Newton's ideas on gravitation contradicted those are the
great philosopher Dec at. However, the marquee de l'Hopital writer of the first
textbook on the calculus could hardly restrain his excitement when he was shown a copy of it, crying out within with admiration. "Good God, what's a fund of knowledge "there is in that book." And asking all sorts of
questions about Sir Isaac such as the color of his hair. And does he eat and drink and sleep? And is he like other men? The first French translation
of Newton's Principia was by the mathematician and
physicist Emilie Du Châtelet, who added a perceptive
commentary on his writings. Three centuries later it's still the best
known French translation. She and her lover Voltaire did much to spread
Newton's ideas in France and on the right is the
front piece from Voltaire's elements of Newton's philosophy where Voltaire is seen writing
illuminated by divine light that comes from behind Newton via mirror held by Emilie Du Châtelet Meanwhile, several books appeared that tried to explain Newton's Principia to a range of potential readers. In 1737 Francesco Algarotti produced his Newtonianism for the ladies explaining Newton's
ideas on light and color and showing Algarotti
with Emilie Du Châtelet and later in 1761 six
lectures on Newton's ideas adapted to the capacities of
young gentlemen and ladies given by a certain Tom
Telescope depicted here showing a globe and
exhibiting the workings of a windmill. Newton has also been represented in engravings paintings and sculptures. One of the most intriguing
was by the radical Persian, artist, William Blake and shows Newton sitting
on a rock under the sea engrossed in a geometrical
diagram that he's drawing with a pair of compasses. Blake was actually opposed
to many of Newton's views but years later, his picture
provided the inspiration for a large bronze statue Paolozzi's Newton after William Blake, which can be seen in the (indistinct) of the British library in London. Another artist who is fascinated by Newton was the surrealist Salvador Dali who's bronze statues
called homage to Newton show an open torso of Newton holding a suspended ball or Apple. These exist in various forms and sizes ranging from miniature versions suitable to the home to
large public sculptures in Singapore and in Madrid. Newton has also been
celebrated on bank notes, coins and metals here's a selection. For 10 years British
pound notes showed Newtons planetary system telescope
prism, and the Principia. Although we note that the notes designer chose to improve our
entire planetary system by placing the sun at
the center of the ellipse instead of the focus was it should be but it makes a much
more attractive picture. More recently this 50
Pence British 50 Pence coin depicted Newton's planetary system. Newton once claimed that
if I have seen further it is by standing on
the shoulders of giants. And these words appear around the edges of many of our two pound coins. Commemorative metals have also been cast such as this 18th century
one from Switzerland. Many countries have also
issued postage stamps that feature him. In 1987 these four British stamps celebrated the 300th
anniversary of the Principia. Principia Mathematica
and his work on optics. Well, here are some other Newton stamps from around the world, from
the Ascension islands, Monaco Dubai Hungary showing his work with lenses and Nicaragua showing
Newton's law of gravitation. But we'll conclude with
some well-known quotations. The first is said to be by Newton himself. I do not know what I
may appear to the world, but to myself, I seem to have been only like
a boy playing on the seashore and diversity myself in now, and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary whilst the great ocean of truth lay all discovered before me. The second quotation
encapsulates the reference with which Newton held during and immediately following his lifetime. When the poet Alexander Pope produced the following memorable epotophe of his achievements. Nature and nature's laws lay hidden night God said let Newton be an always light. But we leave the final
words to Edmond Halley who's owed to Isaac Newton,
introduces the Principia and concludes with the words then ye who now upon heavenly nectar fare come celebrates with me
in song the name of Newton to the muses dear for he unlocked the hidden
treasuries of truth. So richly through his
mind had Phoebus cost the radiance of his own divinity near the gods no mortal may approach. And finally, here are some
suggestions for further reading. There are many, many books on Newton and including the one in the middle, which we are launching today. So thank you very much for listening.
