"Newton on Matter and Activity shows persuasively that while the Principia remains within the first two stages of inquiry (mathematical and physical) into nature, Newton spent the next forty years of his life making a philosophical analysis of matter, force, and transmission of force. Close attention is paid to methodological issues, especially Newton's move beyond inductivism and toward a reproductive theoretical schema of interpretation required to treat of attraction, hardness, and impenetrability." —Cross Currents
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From 1687, the year when Newton published his Principia, to the Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851, science gradually became central to Western thought and economic development. The book examines how, despite powerful opposition on the Continent, a Newtonian understanding gained acceptance and practical application.
While at play with his dog, Newton, a young boy discovers the laws of force and motion in everyday activities such as throwing a ball, pulling a wagon, and riding a bike. Includes "For Creative Minds" section.
Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727) was one of the greatest scientists of all time, a thinker of extraordinary range and creativity who has left enduring legacies in mathematics and the natural sciences. In this volume a team of distinguished contributors examine all the main aspects of Newton's thought, including not only his approach to space, time, mechanics, and universal gravity in his Principia, his research in optics, and his contributions to mathematics, but also his more clandestine investigations into alchemy, theology, and prophecy, which have sometimes been overshadowed by his mathematical and scientific interests.
Isaac Newton was as strange as he was intelligent. In a few short years, he made astounding discoveries in physics, astronomy, optics, and mathematics— yet never told a soul. Though isolated, snobbish, and jealous, he almost single-handedly changed the course of scientific advancement and ushered in the Enlightenment. Newton invented the refracting telescope, explained the motion of planets and comets, discovered the multicolored nature of light, and created an entirely new field of mathematical understanding: calculus. The world might have been a very different place had Netwon's theories and observations not been coaxed out of him by his colleagues. Isaac Newton and Physics for Kids paints a rich portrait of this brilliant and complex man, including 21 hands-on projects that explore the scientific concepts Newton developed and the times in which he lived. Readers will build a simple waterwheel, create a 17thcentury plague mask, track the phases of the moon, and test Newton's Three Laws of Motion using coins, a skateboard, and a model boat they construct themselves. The text includes a time line, online resources, and reading list for further study. And through it all, readers will learn how the son of a Woolsthorpe sheep farmer grew to become the most influential physicist in history.
Can guided inquiry adequately teach Newton's three laws of motions and states of matter in a fifth-grade classroom? Students start with pre-conceived ideas of the nature of motion, as evidenced in their pre-test. For example, most students misunderstood that dropping two balls at the same time results in the heavier ball touching the floor before the lighter ball, but they will see that both balls touch the floor at the same time. The independent study lessons consist of two units. The first unit is Newton's three laws of motion which are explored through eight activities. The average score for the Unit 1 pre-test and post-test was 37% and 56%, respectively. Student scores increased by as much as 150%, although there were four whose scores on the post-test were less than the pre-test. This decrease could be due to the fact that I neglected to read aloud the post-test when I had read aloud the pre-test. There were also technical problems with some of the lessons in Unit 1; which I addressed by completely changing Activity 2, putting in a picture of the procedure to clarify the instructions for activity 3, and lengthening the duration of the lessons. In unit 2 we explored matter which consists primarily of activities designed to explore questions chosen by students working in groups. The students will consider three states of matter and then write down questions that they would like to explore. The student groups will use one of the activities to test their question and demonstrate that activity to the class. Throughout the first unit students had difficulty following directions; as a result I changed methodology for the second unit. Instead of having the student groups move from one activity to another as in Unit 1, each group was assigned a different activity to prepare and present to the class. The average score for unit 2 pre-test and post-test was 66% and 85%, respectively. For this class, guided inquiry needed to be modified so that students explored through discovery with greater supervision.
The interpretation of Isaac Newton's texts has sparked controversy to this day. One of the most heated debates relates to the action between two bodies distant from each other (the gravitational attraction), and to what extent Newton involved God in this case. Practically, most of the papers discuss four types of gravitational attractions in the case of remote bodies: direct distance action as intrinsic property of bodies in epicurean sense; direct remote action divinely mediated by God; remote action mediated by a material ether; or remote action mediated by an immaterial ether. The purpose of this paper is to argue that Newton categorically rejected the types of direct action as the intrinsic property of bodies, and remote action mediated by a material ether. Concerning the other two types of action, direct through divine intervention and mediated through an immaterial environment, Newton has repeatedly stated that he does not know the exact cause of gravity, but in both cases, he has directly involved God, directly in the first case and as the primary cause (the environment/ether being the secondary cause) in immaterial mediated action. But since recognition of direct distance action could have given some credit to those who thought gravity could be essential to matter, and hence to atheism, Newton never openly acknowledged the possibility of such an idea. Keywords: Isaac Newton, action at a distance, God, gravity, gravity law, gravitation CONTENTS Abstract Introduction Principia Correspondence with Richard Bentley Queries in Opticks Conclusions Bibliography DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25823.92320
