Questions tagged [newton]
For questions about Isaac Newton (1643-1727), mathematician and physicist, and his works
149 questions
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Why was an eternal infinite universe so important to Newton?
There is a similar question but without answer: Why is it that so many early astronomers and cosmologists wanted to believe in a static/infinite/eternal Universe?
Newton writes in De Gravitatione that ...
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Did Newton know that force is mass times acceleration?
Did Newton know that force equals mass times acceleration? Is that implied by his description of force?
If yes, why he didn't use the relation $F = m \times a$?
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Did Newton & Leibniz really view infinitesimals as actual "infinitesimal" quantities? [duplicate]
It's commonly told that classic Calculus was done treating infinitesimals as if they were actual quantities, which is facially absurd.
However, if we treat them as denoting variables with functional ...
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Who was the first person to study the solar system using differential and integral calculus? Was it Newton? [duplicate]
As it is well-known, calculus is a very natural tool to study the solar system; In particular, for calculating the paths of planets around the Sun.
It seems very interesting, and at the same time ...
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How did Newton correctly estimate the Earth's mean density without knowing $G$?
In the Principia (Book III, Proposition X, Theorem X, in the 1846 Motte translation), Newton estimated the mean density of the Earth to be about
5-6 times that of water, remarkably close to the modern ...
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Did Newton explicitly assume the correctness of Euclidean geometry as a description of physical space?
Here's a question that results from me reconsidering what I've learnt at university. So from what I know (or thought I knew) from the history of the exact sciences, it was the authority of Immanuel ...
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A complete list of those whom Isaac Newton suspected of "stealing" some of their discoveries
Newton is famous for his essential discoveries in the different areas of mathematics and science but I always see there are some doubts abouts originality of his works and I see new doubts arise ...
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A textbook on how physics was discovered
I would like to study physics, but with less of a focus on the results of physics, and more of a focus on the logic and evidence which led to the results. I am interested in the physics itself, a ...
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Readable English translations of Newton's De Analysi and Fluxions
This question regards English translations of Newton's De Analysi and De Methodis Serierum et Fluxionum (Method of Fluxions).
Original English editions of these works from the mid-1700's are well-...
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Was Isaac Newton's brilliance evident even during his school and university years? [closed]
When we think about Isaac Newton, he was a brilliant scientist who made groundbreaking discoveries in physics and mathematics. But what kind of student was he before he became famous? Was he always ...
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Was Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica published on July 5. 1687?
What is the publication date (day/month) of Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica from 1687? There are lots of links that write (without any proof) July 5 as publish date, but I can't find where ...
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Earliest known mention of the Mould effect, aka chain fountain, aka Newton's beads
The Mould effect, aka chain fountain, aka Newton's beads, is a counter-intuitive effect in which a string of beads dropped from a beaker goes up like a fountain when falling down. Steve Mould ...
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Question about the early history of "Vena contracta" modeling
Background
My question refers to the phenomenon of "Vena contracta", an interesting fluid dynamics effect which refers to the sudden contraction of a jet immediately after exiting an orifice....
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Can any major building/structure be attributed to Newton and the Scientific Revolution?
Is there any building or structure in the history of architecture or civil engineering that could be associated to the Scientific Revolution and the invention of Newtonian mechanics. I am not talking ...
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Any mathematical historians want to collaborate on reporting results by Newton and Lagrange related to the general solution of polynomial equations? [closed]
Dear Mathematical Historians:
I'm the second author of a paper on the general solution to polynomial and power series equations just published in the American Mathematical Monthly:
https://www....
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