Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727) was born in Lincolnshire, the son of a farmer, who hoped that young Isaac would take over the farm when he died. However, his mother realised that he would not be happy as a farmer, sent him to university to study chemistry.
While he was there, he found what looked like an interesting book on astrology, but realised that he did not know enough mathematics to understand it. So instead he taught himself mathematics, enjoying it so much that he then decided to change from a chemistry degree, to one in maths.

He had many theories on all sorts of areas, most of which we now know to be correct, but he is best remembered for his ideas on gravity.

The story goes, that having had to go home from university because of the great plague, he was sitting in his parent's orchard, when an apple fell from a tree. Instead of just thinking, "an apple has fallen down", he wondered why it fell down and not up. We all know that apples fall down, but he was more interested in the direction. He thought that maybe it was the same force that kept the moon in the sky next to us. If you spin something round and round and then let go, it should fly off, so what was it that was holding onto the moon? It should fly away because it is spinning round and round the earth, but it doesn't. Could it be the same thing that pulled the apple down to the earth?
We now know this is exactly what happens, and also why the Earth orbits the sun without flying off through space, as we are attracted by the suns gravity.

Today, we still use Newtons as a measurement of weight.

Back to list of scientists