Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) compiled three laws of motion and published
his thinking in Philosophia Naturalis Principia Mathematica in 1687
while he was teaching at Cambridge University in England. Newton used the three
laws to explain and investigate the motion of many physical objects and
systems. His thinking is responsible for developments in the field of classical
mechanics, which is the study of physical laws describing the motion of bodies
in a system. Galileo, Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler also participated in the
early development of classical mechanics.
Schooled in mathematics,
natural philosophy, physics, astronomy and theology, Newton is considered to be
one of the most influential individuals of all time and a founder of physical
science as we know it today. His thinking dominated the scientific view of the
physical universe for the next three centuries. We remember him primarily for
his description of the principle of gravitation and the three laws of motion. He
showed that the motions of objects on Earth and of celestial bodies are
governed by the same set of natural laws. By demonstrating the consistency
between Kepler's laws of planetary motion and his theory of gravitation, he
removed the last doubts about the sun’s being the center of the solar system
and advanced the thinking of the Scientific Revolution.From Threes, Chapter 3, "Threes in Science"
