These four concise and universal rules for investigation were truly revolutionary. By their application, Newton formulated the universal laws of nature with which he was able to unravel virtually all the unsolved problems of his day. Newton went much further than outlining his rules for reasoning, however, actually describing how they might be applied to the solution of a given problem. The analytic method he invented far exceeded the more philosophical and less scientifically rigorous approaches of and Aquinas. Newton refined experimental method, creating the compositional method of experimentation still practiced today.
Newton formulated the classical theories of mechanics and optics and invented years before . However, he did not publish his work on until afterward had published his. This led to a bitter priority dispute between English and continental mathematicians which persisted for decades, to the detriment of all concerned. Newton discovered that the was valid for fractional powers, but left it for to publish (which he did, with appropriate credit to Newton). Newton formulated a theory of sound, but derived a speed, which did not agree with his experiments. Newton observed that white light could be separated by a into a spectrum of different colours, each characterized by a unique refractivity, and proposed the corpuscular theory of light. Newton's views on optics were born out of the original experiments he performed at Cambridge. In his crucial experiment, he found that the image produced by a was oval-shaped and not circular, as current theories of light would require. He observed a half-red, half-blue string through a , and found the ends to be disjointed. He also observed , which are actually a manifestation of the wave nature of light which Newton did not believe in. Newton believed that light must move faster in a medium when it is towards the normal, in opposition to the result predicted by wave theory.
After Newton's death, his burial place was moved. During the exhumation, it was discovered that Newton had massive amounts of mercury in his body, probably resulting from his alchemical pursuits. This would certainly explain Newton's eccentricity in late life. Newton was appointed Warden of the British Mint in 1695. Newton was knighted by Queen Anne. However, the act was "an honour bestowed not for his contributions to science, nor for his service at the Mint, but for the greater glory of party politics in the election of 1705.
Newton single-handedly contributed more to the development of science than any other individual in history. He surpassed all the gains brought about by the great scientific minds of antiquity, producing a scheme of the universe which was more consistent, elegant, and intuitive than any proposed before. Newton stated explicit principles of scientific methods, which applied universally to all branches of science. This was in sharp contradistinction to the earlier methodologies of and , which had outlined separate methods for different disciplines.
Although his methodology was strictly logical, Newton still believed deeply in the necessity of a God. His theological views are characterized by his belief that the beauty and regularity of the natural world could only "proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being." He felt that "the Supreme God exists necessarily, and by the same necessity he exists always and everywhere." Newton believed that God periodically intervened to keep the universe going on track.
Zara Leduc 10B
