1 The Newtonian Order 2 Mechanization of the World Picture ß The Clockwork Universe ß The Search for Systems ß The Need for a New Paradigm 3 Experimentalists ß “The Experimental Philosophy” 4 Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647) ß 5 (1627-1691) ß Chief of experiments for the Royal Society ß Experiments with air pumps (yielding “Boyle’s Law” for gases) 6 Boyle’s air pump 7 Robert Hooke ß Experiments with microscope 8 Isaac (1642-1727) ß Newton's "Miracle Year" (Annus Mirabilis): 1665-66 9 Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy (the Principia--1687) ß The key book in synthesizing a new 10 Principia: Key elements: ß Definitions: mass, force, etc. ß Laws of Motion ß Universal Gravitation ß proportional to masses of attracting bodies ß inversely proportional to square of the distance 11 Principia: Key elements: ß Calculus ("Method of Fluxions") ß --also claimed by Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716) 12 The Principia accounts for: ß Orbit and period of the moon ß Kepler's Laws ß Parabolic paths of comets ß The tides

1 ß The Nature of Gravity

13 ß To tell us that every species of thing is endowed with an occult specific quality by which it acts and produces manifest effects is to tell us . But to derive two or three general principles of motion from phenomena, and afterwards to tell us how the properties and actions of all corporeal things follow from these manifest principles, would be a very great step in philosophy, though the causes of these principles were not yet discovered; therefore I scruple not to propose the principles of motion above mentioned, they being of very general extent, and leave their causes to be found out. 14 The Importance of Natural Laws ß Laws--if they are useful--describe how things behave ß They are, ideally, mathematical ß They are consistent ß “Nature and Nature’s laws lay hid in night / God said ‘Let Newton be!’ and all was light!” [Alexander Pope] 15 Opticks (1704) ß Newton as Experimenter ß White light made up of colors (prism experiments) ß Corpuscular theory of light

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17 Science—fame, status, and power ß Science has a new status at the end of the ß Science is the beneficiary of patronage ß Science itself--not just applications--is considered of importance to the state

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19 Question: ß Why is Newton often considered the founder of modern physics?

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