Sir Isaac Newton December (1642 – 20 March ) was an English physicist and mathematician (described in his own day as 

a "natural philosopher") who is widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the scientific revolution.

 

His book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica("Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy"), first published in 1687, laid the foundations for classical mechanics.

 

Newton enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge. Here he found a father figure who set him on the road to important discoveries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isaac Barrow, Cambridge's first Professor of Mathematics, steered Newton away fromthe standard undergraduate texts and towards the big unsolved mathematical problems of the day, such as calculus - a way of describing how things change. 

 

Calculus would later be crucial for explaining the universe in mathematical terms. Newton also hunted out new works by men such as Descartes, who argued that the Universe was governed by mechanical laws.Newton continued to experiment in his 

laboratory. This mix of theory and practice led him to many different kinds of discoveries. His theory of optics made him 

reconsider the design of the telescope, which up until this point was a large, cumbersome instrument. By using mirrors instead of lenses,

Newton was able to create a more powerful instrument, ten 

times smaller than traditional telescopes. When the Royal Society heard about Newton’s telescope they were impressed.