Newton's apple tree in Woolsthorpe
Isaac Newton made most of his notable contributions towards science during his time in quarantine during the Great Plague of London
Light splitting in Newton's bedchambers
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Isaac Newton made most of his notable contributions towards science during his time in quarantine during the Great Plague of London. (Photo Credits- Britannica)
Notable mathematician and physicist Sir Isaac Newton made marvellous discoveries and inventions during his lifetime. Because of his world- changing discoveries, he is recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time. Newton is most well-known for formulating the laws of motion and universal gravitation, which made him a key figure in the scientific revolution.
Though Newton contributed a lot to the field of physics, his most notable and ground breaking discoveries were formulated during his time in quarantine during the Great Plague. During this time, he made remarkable discoveries in the field of calculus, motion, optics and gravitation.
Isaac Newton stayed in quarantine for one whole year, which later become known as the Year of Wonders, or Newton’s Annus Mirabilis. He dedicated this entire year of his life to making scientific discoveries and making huge strides I formulating new theorems.
Here is a deeper look into Newton’s Year of Wonders
Isaac Newton was just 23 years old when the Great Plague of London hit the country. He was just a student at the Trinity College, Cambridge at that time. As the entire nation tried to practice their version of social distancing, the students from Trinity College were requested to head home to avoid the spread of the plague.
As the bubonic Great Plague was one of the worst outbreaks in the history of England, Newton was forced to take two long visits to Woolsthorpe to avoid being infected.
Newton’ brain thrived when he was away from his professors’ eyes. His main objective during this lockdown was to set his mind to work. During the period of isolation, Newton came up with theories which changed the world of science.
"For in those days I was in the prime of my age for inventions and minded mathematics and philosophy more than at any time since," he had said.
He also stressed that these forced absences were the most intellectually fruitful of his whole life. Newton enjoyed the fact that he could let his mind run free and he didn’t have to be shackled by his university curriculum while conducted any kind of research.
During his time in quarantine, Newton decided to explore the fields of optics, calculus, laws of motion and gravitation.
Light splitting in Newton's bedchambers
Newton’s experiments with prisms
One of the first things Newton worked on was to understand the properties of light better. He took this step by obtaining a prism, which were majorly sold as novelties in 1660s.
He bore tiny holes in the shutters of his bedroom in Woolsthorpe and placed the prism in such a position that only a thin beam of light passes through it. This experiment showed him that white light was made up seven different colours, which are visible to the naked eye when dispersed through a class medium.
This phenomena helped Newton develop the early design on the Newtonian telescope.
Newton’s advancements in mathematics
While taking a break from the optics experiment with prisms, Newton decided to work on some of the mathematical problems that he stumbled upon in Cambridge.
He later developed a new field of mathematics, which is today known as calculus. Though it is not clear who came up with the idea of calculus fists- Isaac Newton or Gottfried Leibniz- it is speculated that both of them independently came up with the idea during the 1660s.
Newton’s calculus included unique mathematical notations with using it majorly in geometric form based on limiting values of the ratios of vanishingly small quantities.
Newton's apple tree in Woolsthorpe
Laws of motion and universal gravitation
Newton spent his time in quarantine mostly thinking about how to universe works. It was during his time in quarantine that the famous Apple Incident took place.
While looking at the orchard outside his bedroom, he saw an apple fall from the tree and questioned why it falls straight to the ground. While studying about this matter in detail, he came up with the concept of gravity. He also observed that everything in the world is attracted to everything.
John Conduitt, Newton’s assistant and his niece’s husband, describe the incident as follows:
"...Whilst he was musing in a garden it came into his thought that the same power of gravity (which made an apple fall from the tree to the ground) was not limited to a certain distance from the earth but must extend much farther than was usually thought. Why not as high as the Moon?’ said he to himself..."
After discovering the concept of gravity, he came up with the mathematical formulas for the laws of motion, which describe the relationship between a body and the external forces acting on it.
After his year in quarantine, he wrote and published three papers related to optics, calculus and other scientific phenomena. He utilised his time in isolation to the fullest, using the extra time on his hand to make giant strides in the world of science.
Newton should be an inspiration for all the students who are currently on a break from their university life. They should learn that this time is to focus on ourselves and brush up our skills in our area of interest, even learn about unexplored topics to expand our knowledge.
