Newton's Gift

This account of Newton examines both his work and his life. This is no mean feat as Newton lived in isolation, never travelling beyond England, had few freinds and while he wrote extensively, it was almost never about himself. The word 'gift' has two meanings: firstly it stands for the phenomenal scientific imagination and talent of Newton and secondly his contribution to the method of scientific thinking which is still relevant to the development of science today. Isaac Newton is one of the largest figures in the history of western thought. He created the sciences of rational and celestial mechanics; he discovered the calculus; advanced a theory of colour and made profound and audacious contributions to pure mathematics, optics and astronomy. He was the first to propose a unified system and the perfect model of Newtonian physics is one to which modern scientists continue to aspire.