genius clAS 6

p. 14: Identify three things (developing fields) on which Newton focused during his year-plus in Lincolnshire, 1665-1666, his annus mirabilis? In what areas did he set the ground work for his theories and discoveries that he would finish over time? ______________ _____________ _____________

approxmaintg series, gravity, optics

Judging from Leonardo and Newton (as well as Einstein), geniuses are usually born into a. the very lowest economic class b. the middle to upper middle class c. the aristocracy

b

What famous scientist was buried in Westminster abbey in 2018? a. David Bowie b. Stephen Hawking c. Stephen King d. Francis Crick

b

p. 108: Why was the judgment of the Royal Academy (of Science) unfair when it failed to give Leibniz's charge against Newton a reasonable hearing? Because a. N. destroyed Leibniz's petition b. N. was president of the Society when the petition was judged c. N.'s students would not allow the petition to go forth

b

p. 12: Which of the following is the best answer? Newton was lucky because a. he happened to lodge with someone who ran a chemistry shop b. he happened to have an uncle who could get him into Cambridge University c. both of the other two

b

p. 13: (thought question) Being an autodidact likely is an external manifestation of what internal quality? a. pattern processing b. curiosity c. temporal thinking d. memory

b

p. 6: [Relevant to our first paper assignment] According to this, more recent scholarship has tended to see Newton as a. the solitary, lone, towering genius, as "the great man" b. someone whose work depended on contributions of others at the time c. a polymath whose multifarious contributions are only now coming to be recognized

b

p. 106 col. 2: (Also discussed in Fauvel) As a member of Trinity College, Cambridge, what problem did N. and his rival Whiston face?

didn't believe in Trinity!

p. 12: What did he study mainly in school? (What kind of school was it?) ____________

grammar school, latin

p. 20 and generally: Really, then, for the last thirty years of his life, what scientific and/or mathematical discoveries did N make?

he published old stuff finally, but not much

p. 20: Was Newton called a genius in his day, or, like Bach, seventy-five years after his death? a. In his day b. Much later

in his day

p. 18: In 1696 the king gave Newton the job of looking after the Mint (making sure there was as much gold and silver in the coinage as there was supposed to be) which was thought to be a "sinecure." What's a "sinecure"? Was Newton doing any new science? Yes or No

little work cushy job no

pp. 19-20: What is the time lag between N's work on optics and the actual date of publication of his definitive study (1704); and similarly between his early important discoveries about the organization of the universe (1665-1667) and the publication of this work (Principia see p. 17, middle).

long time

p. 18: Again, how does the fact that two mathematicians could fight over who discovered calculus suggest that the sciences differ from the arts? _______________________ _______________________________

more "winner takes all"

p. 1: Were any of these in the arts (and n.b., Newton dealt with music theory, which is math not art). Yes or No

no

p. 16: Was Newton a good teacher? Yes or No (If no one heard the lectures was he a teacher at all?) Which one of Gardner's multiple intelligences (as explained in the Goleman reading) did he lack? ___________________

no interpersonal

p. 16: According to his manservant (also named Newton), how many times in his adult life did Newton laugh? ________

once

p: 1 (caption): Make a case for N being a polymath. Identify four subjects that he studied? _________ __________ ___________ _________

optics, math, divinity, astronomy

p. 12: How did Newton make out as a farmer? ___________ What does this suggest about his ability to relate to other animals, human or otherwise. ____________________________

poorly

p. 1: (Regarding genius and age; and arts vs. math-based sciences): What might the fact that N in his fifties retired from mathematics and moved to London say about a potential difference between genius in the sciences and the arts with regard to age? (see also, p. 14) ________________________________________

sciences -> young mans game perhaps art->age Is ok

`p. 12: Did he get much formal (in school) education in the sciences at home or elsewhere as a youth? Yes or No

sciences, no, not until college

p. 17: Just musing: What are great "manual skills"? I can see how they can be manifested (in a new, powerful telescope). But if a great draftsman or artist such as Leonardo has perfect (one to one) "hand eye coordination" what the heck might "manual skills be" Is this innate, learned??? Are some people simply born "more handy with tools" than others?

seems like manual skills seems something more learned

p. 1: Was Newton (hereafter N) thought to be an important person (a genius) in his day?

yes!

p. 13-14 (and refer back to page 11) How old was Newton when he, in effect, graduated from college in 1665? 24 or 22

22

. 14: How old was he in 1666 (during his year-plus of quarantining—sound familiar?)? __________Look at the end of the quote (and think about it in terms of the fourth question on this sheet): "I was in the prime of my age for invention [creativity?] and minded Mathematicks & Philosophy more than at any time since." N.B. Remember that "philosophy" in these years meant "natural philosophy," what we today would call physics. (It is from that develops famously the expression annus mirabilis (and how old was Einstein when he had his _________)

23, einstein -> 26

pp. 107-108: In the discussion on these pages, there are at least four areas or domains discussed in which Newton "got it wrong" or only partially right, or just made things up ("the fudge factor" or "swindle his way to exactitude"). Identify just two of these. You can just name the rule or law, or issue, rather than explain what N. got wrong.

Boyles law (elasticity of air), ratio of earth and moon

p. 15: Which recently deceased physicist was also a Lucasian professor at Trinity College (and buried in Westminster Abbey, as previously suggested)? ____________

Stephen hawking

p. 5-6: Judging from what you know about Einstein, match the name with the world view. Einstein, Newton, Leonardo a. a fully interrelated mechanistic one in which nature is predictable and controllable b. a holistic natural world in which change is incessant but not predictable c. a mechanical world in which effect is dependent on time and place

a->newton b->Leonardo c->einstein

How did N. manage to escape charges of heresy? a. kept his beliefs secret b. moved to London to be keeper of the Royal Mint c. moved his quarters to Unitarian College, Cambridge

a

If Newton can be taken to be the standard, which of the following is true about scientists and mathematicians. a. Often have their greatest insights in the 20's b. Often have their greatest insights in middle age c. Often have their greatest insights during their senescence

a

p. 107: Here it is suggested (quite plausibly) that N. was a classic case of a. Asperger's syndrome b. Tourette's syndrome c. Autism d. William's syndrome

a

p. 11: Was Newton born into a family of a. illiterate farmers but prosperous farmers b. the lowest class c. the aristocracy (nobility)

a

p. 13: How then did he learn most of what he came to know about science (or as it was then called "natural philosophy")? Newton was a. an autodidact b. monodidact c. a polydactyl d. a dactylic hexameter

a

p. 17 bottom: What happened to Newton in 1693 (at the age of fifty). a. he had a mental breakdown b. he left Cambridge to become warden of the Royal Mint c. elected president of the Royal Society (of Science)

a

p. 17: Oddly, what did N do mostly during the 1670s (as also explained by the video for today), something for which he is not remembered at all today? a. studied alchemy b. studied math c. studied music theory d. agriculture

a

p. 2: Which of the following constructs seems to be most correct and is of interest regarding genius, again emphasizing how subjective the process of evaluating genius can be (What happens if the genius gets it wrong?) a. Newton's theory as to how the universe works has been undermined in the 20th century, but his reputation endures b. Newton's theory as to how the universe works has been confirmed by the advent of quantum mechanics, but his star, judging by how the average person sees the world, is in eclipse

a

p. 13: (N.B. The Seven Liberal Arts: Trivium (Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric) + Quadrivium (Math, Geometry, Astronomy and Music--again, because music was studied as mathematical ratios) What did he study at Trinity College Cambridge? a. the curriculum was devoted mainly to the trivium b. the curriculum was devoted mainly to the quadrivium

a, trivium

p. 108f col. 2 to end: Now the question, the real question. Why did N. do this? Choose the two best answers. Because a. He had a serious personality flaw that caused him to uphold traditional Christian believes yet also to denigrate the scientific work of others. b. He was both Autistic and paranoid, which made it possible for him to concentrate yet prevented him from sharing the fruits of lucubrations with competitors. c. He was determined to see god as a single deity who created the universe according to a uniform set of mathematical laws (the clock work universe). d. He wanted to end up with the most toys (possessions).

b,

p. 15-16: What does this "I want to be anonymous but I won't let Mercator have the credit" seem to suggest about Newton. He is (circle two): a. generous b. secretive c. paranoid d. altruistic

b,c

And to review p. 105 top end: The topic under consideration here forces us to engage which of the following: a. the relationship between poetry, as represented by Alexander Pope, and science b. the fact that to be a genius in science, you can't make any mistakes c.. the intersection or disengagement of genius and morality

c

p. 105: The topic under consideration here forces us to engage which of the following: a. the relationship between poetry, as represented by Alexander Pope, and science b. the fact that to be a genius in science, you can't make any mistakes c. the intersection or disengagement of genius and morality

c

p. 15: According to John Maynard Keynes (himself no intellectual slouch) in what did N's genius rest? a. curiosity b. motivation c. concentration d. loquaciousness e. speculation

c

p. 3-4: Leonardo was a great keeper of notes and papers, as we have seen. What was the case with Newton. Did he keep are preserve his papers? a. no, his penchant for secrecy caused him to burn many early notes b. yes, and they ended up in Trinity College, Oxford, where Newton had been a student c. yes, and they ended up in King's College, Cambridge and Cambridge University Library

c

p. 4: Voltaire cautions that we should a. not simplify by attributing the works of many to one single figure (that we can call a genius) b. understand that there is a Zeitgeist with many heroes, rather than a single, all-powerful one c. both of the above

c

p. 17: Here's something to consider. What is Newton's problem with Christianity? He thinks it has become ______________ and that some Christianity's basic tenants are wrong. To be appointed to his position as Lucasian Professor at Trinity College, Newton would have to profess a believe in the Holy ________. But Newton was developing a theory and belief in a unified universe. Perhaps he should have joined a. the Presbyterian Church b. the Unitarian Church c. the Roman Catholic Church

corrupt trinity b

[More about N.'s behavior toward John Flamsteed and Stephen Gray.] Which is most true? a. N. worked to suppress the scientific advances of others b. N. work to thwart the careers of others c. N. worked to appropriate the work of others d. All of the above

d

p. 106: Newton was a. vain about his appearance b. an inveterate liar c. altruistic d. obsessively secretive

d