Newton wrote the Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, in which he described universal gravitation and the three laws of motion, laying the groundwork for classical mechanics.
The Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Latin: "mathematical principles of natural philosophy", often Principia or Principia Mathematica for short) is a three-volume work by Isaac Newton published on July 5, 1687.
He released his works at age forty-five and years after vowing never to publish again.
It contains the statement of Newton's laws of motion forming the foundation of classical mechanics, as well as his law of universal gravitation and a derivation of Kepler's laws for the motion of the planets (which were first obtained empirically).
Newton demonstrated for the first time the laws of dynamics and gravitation, giving mathematical solutions to most of the problems concerning motion, puzzling scientists. It success established him as the leading scientist of his time throughout the Western world.
The Principia is widely regarded as one of the most important scientific works ever written. It has been claimed that the Principia is the greatest work in the history of the physical sciences.
In it Newton not only put forward a new theory of how bodies move ins space and time, but also developed the complicated mathematics needed to analyze these motions.
By demonstrating that the motion of all bodies was controlled by the same universal laws, Isaac Newton brought to the scientific community a vision of an orderly, harmonious universe which could be understood independent of any supreme being.
A revised edition was published in 1713. A third edition, which had fewer changes than the second edition, was published in 1726, a year before Newton’s death in 1727.
Divided into three books,
*Book I develops general dynamics from a mathematical standpoint for the entire work and begins with the motion of mass particles.
*Book II is a treatise on fluid mechanics.
*Book III is devoted to astronomical and physical problems. Newton addressed and resolved a number of issues including the motions of comets and the influence of gravitation.
Newton's scientific accomplishments were vast. He held a professor ship at Cambridge, represented the University in Parliaments master of the mint reformed the English coinage and for twenty five years was president of the Royal Society.
He was the co-discoverer with Leibniz of differential calculus and the founder of mathematical physics. He made important studies in optics and yet had time to devote to theology, alchemy and chemistry.
Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Isaac Newton
