Life of Newton Test - Physics
How old was Newton when he became the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics?
26
What government job did he take after he left the university?
After leaving the university, he became the Warden of the Royal Mint. In this position, he worked to stop counterfeit coins.
Edmund Halley
Halley asked Newton to explain the motion of the planets. Newton explained that the motion of each of the planets was an ellipse. Using this information, Halley was able to calculate when a famous comet would return.
How did Newton try to stop people from counterfeiting coins?
He demanded that all of the new coins be standard and minted correctly. Counterfeiting also became a type of treason against the Queen.
Who is Alexander Pope and what did he say about Newton?
He was a famous poet and satirist. Alexander Pope wrote a famous couplet about Newton: "God said, Let Newton Be! And All was Light."
Where did Isaac Newton go to college? How did he help pay for his college education?
He went to Cambridge University. In order to pay for this, Issac Newton became a sizar, or a servant for other students who would in turn pay for his college expenses.
Robert hooke
Hooke was another famous scientist who lived during the time of Isaac newton. He said that Newton truly stole some of Hooke's optics results and that Newton did not come up with everything on his own.
What is the name of the work published by Isaac Newton in 1687? What are the two main topics of what some call the greatest scientific work (Book I and Book III)?
In 1687, Isaac Newton published Principia. The two main topics in the work are the laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation.
Newton did not have a happy childhood. What happened to Isaac's father? What was his relationship with his mother?
Isaac Newton's father died before he was born. His mother remarried and left Isaac to with his grandmother. Isaac Newton said that he wanted to burn his parents in his house.
Why was the university closed down in 1665 and 1666? What did Newton do during this time?
It closed down because of the Bubonic Plague. During this time, Isaac Newton went home to avoid infection and developed calculus, the law of universal gravitation, the theory of light and color, and the laws of motion.
Gottfried Leibniz
Leibniz also invented a type of calculus called differential and integral calculus. However, the two men did not know of each other when they were independently creating calculus.
List four major areas that Newton worked on during his life, beside the Three Laws of Motion.
The theory of light Calculus The law of universal gravitation Alchemy
What did Newton prove with his prism experiment? What natural phenomena could he explain after this experiment?
With his prism experiment, Newton proved that white light is made up of all of the colors, which are separated out and projected when white light is sent through a prism. This could help explain the natural phenomena of the rainbow.
When did Newton die? Where is he buried? What is the Latin quote on his tomb?
Newton died in 1727. He is buried in the Westminster Abbey in London, United Kingdom. The Latin inscription on his grave says the following: Here is buried Isaac Newton, Knight, who by a strength of mind almost divine, and mathematical principles peculiarly his own, explored the course and figures of the planets, the paths of comets, the tides of the sea, the dissimilarities in rays of light, and, what no other scholar has previously imagined, the properties of the colours thus produced. Diligent, sagacious and faithful, in his expositions of nature, antiquity and the holy Scriptures, he vindicated by his philosophy the majesty of God mighty and good, and expressed the simplicity of the Gospel in his manners. Mortals rejoice that there has existed such and so great an ornament of the human race! He was born on 25th December 1642, and died on 20th March 1726.
Why did Newton leave Cambridge? How might his work with alchemy have caused this problem?
Newton had a nervous breakdown after an argument with Robert Hooke. After another breakdown, he left Cambridge University. Some believe that he also had mercury poisoning after being an alchemist for 30 years, which made him ill and weak.
Who was the queen that knighted Isaac Newton and in what year?
Queen Anne knighted Isaac Newton in 1705.
There are two dates given as Isaac Newton's birth date. What are they? Why are there 2 different dates?
The two birth dates of Isaac Newton are December 25, 1642 and January 4, 1643. There are two different dates because his birthday was on December 25th originally but then the Julian calendar was replaced with the Georgian calendar and his birthday became January 4th. The Julian calendar had a problem and Pope Gregory XIII demanded a new calendar be created to fix the mistake in the Julian Calendar.
What did Newton build in 1668 that brought him fame and the attention of the scientific community?
What did Newton build in 1668 that brought him fame and the attention of the scientific community?
