Nature Abhors a Vacuum Fact
Aristotle once postulated “horror vacui” (Nature Abhors a Vacuum). It turns out nature really can’t stand a perfect vacuum.
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton was a polymath who laid the foundations for classical physics and calculus. Newton was one of the most widely influential figures in the scientific revolution.
Today physics consists of classical physics and quantum physics, meaning Newton’s physics including his laws of motion are still used today when considering inertial reference frames (physics from a frame of standing still on earth). Although he adopted many of the ideas of earlier greats (“standing on the shoulder’s of giants”), Newton’s work stands apart by being uniquely advanced and useable from a modern perspective.
Factoids tagged with "Isaac Newton"
Sir Isaac Newton Was an Economist Fact
Sir Isaac Newton is best known for his laws of motion and gravity, but he was also an economist of sorts serving as Britain’s Warden/Master of the Mint (from 1696 until his death in 1727).
Immanuel Kant Made Important Scientific Discoveries Fact
Kant predicted the effect of tides on the earth’s rotation, the composition of nebulae and the solar system, and a multi-galaxy universe in 1755; his theories weren’t fully confirmed until the 1900’s.
Sir Isaac Newton Discovered the Laws of Motion Fact
Sir Isaac Newton can be said to have discovered the laws of motion, but more accurately, he refined the work of Aristotle, Galileo, Descartes, and others.
Light is Both a Particle and a Wave Fact
Light is a particle (a photon), that acts like a wave (“both a particle and a wave”), which can be measured as an excited quantized state of the electromagnetic field.
Everything Depends on Frame of Reference Fact
Everything we perceive depends on our frame of reference. What we observe is relative to our point of view. In other words, “it is all a matter of perspective”.
There are Different Ways to Measure Mass Fact
There are different ways to measure mass, but all of them are related to rest-mass (invariant mass) the “true” inertial mass of an object at rest.
Blog Posts tagged with "Isaac Newton"
How Isaac Newton Actually Lost His Money in the South Sea Bubble
Isaac Newton didn’t just buy the top in the South Sea bubble. He bought early, sold for a modest profit, then bought back in near the top after seeing others get rich, only to sell near the bottom for a loss of £20,000 (roughly £1.2 mil in 2021 adjusted for inflation).
The Paradox Principle
In practice, human action often has paradoxical or unintended effects. Sometimes effects or side effects even have the exact opposite effect as intended.
What is Light?
We explain “light,” both as electromagnetic radiation within a visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, and as electromagnetic energy carried by photons.
The Secret Life of Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton produced many well-known works in math, astronomy, and physics, but he produced about as many unpublished works which dealt with theology, alchemy, and the occult.
Reference Frames Examples (Physics)
Reference frames and relativity in physics explained using math-free examples. We cover: frames of reference, inertial frames, accelerated frames, and relativity.