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Gresham College: Over Four Centuries of Adult Education Raymond Flood
Gresham College: Over four centuries of adult education Raymond Flood Slide: Title Gresham College, in the City of London, was established in 1597 with the founding principle of accessible free education for all. It was funded from the will of the Elizabethan financier Sir Thomas Gresham. In my presentation I will first briefly talk about him and what he wanted to achieve. One of his original seven professorships was in Geometry and this is the oldest professorship of mathematics in England. I will talk about some of the holders of the chair: from Henry Briggs, the first Geometry professor and creator of common logarithms to some of the more recent professors. The final part of the lecture will be about my lectures and some of the excitement, achievements and challenges in giving lectures in mathematics to a general adult audience and I will show some of the approaches I’ve taken Slide: Sir Thomas Gresham Gresham served all but one of the Tudor monarchs. First Henry VIII, then Mary I followed by Edward VI and finally Elizabeth I. He was a very successful merchant banker involved with trade between London and Antwerp and did well for himself and his clients while serving these four monarchs. Slide: Career Gresham began his public career by purchasing gunpowder for Henry VIII. It wasn’t until the end of the century that gunpowder was manufactured in quantity in England. When Henry VIII died he left the country’s finances in a mess due to his extravagance and mismanagement. Gresham was called in to help and was very successful and was appointed Royal Agent under Edward VI. -
Gresham's Bequest to Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn
11 MARCH 2019 Gresham’s Bequest To Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn MARGARET WILLES In his vivid record of the Great Fire of London, Samuel Pepys noted on the 5th September 1666 how he walked into the City and found ‘The Exchange a sad sight, nothing standing there of all the statues or pillars, but Sir Tho. Gresham’s picture in the corner’. 1 By picture, he meant his portrait statue, which had been placed in the courtyard of the Royal Exchange, founded by Gresham just under a century earlier. Ranged around the courtyard were also statues of all the kings of England from Edward the Confessor to the current monarch, Charles II. The survival of just Gresham’s statue was likewise observed by John Evelyn in an entry in his diary two days later. Describing people walking among the ruins as ‘like men in some dismal desart’ he noted how ‘Sir Tho. Gresham’s statue, tho’ fallen from its nich in the Royal Exchange, remain’d entire, when all those of ye kings since ye Conquest were broken to pieces’. 2 Did those wandering citizens, in their state of shock, fear this was a portent for the future? After all, it had been only six years since the Commonwealth had come to an end, and Charles restored to his throne. Perhaps they took comfort in the symbol of the survival of Gresham’s statue presaging that the City would rise again like a phoenix. For the wealthy mercer, Sir Thomas, was still dominating the life of London with two bequests nearly a century after his death in 1579. -
Sir Thomas Gresham and His Vision for Gresham College', London
Sir Thomas Gresham and his Vision for Gresham College Dr Valerie Shrimplin Research Associate, Gresham College Themes ◼ Sir Thomas Gresham – the man ◼ The Will and a Vision for a College ◼ The College’s History and location(s) ◼ Activities and Provision (lectures, professors, students, online) ◼ Going Global ◼ Barnard’s Inn Hall Sir Thomas Gresham (1519-79) Sir Thomas Gresham, Sir Thomas Gresham, Antonis Van 1544 (aged 26) Dashorst, 1565-70 (aged 46-50) Career ◼ Father financier, Lord Mayor of London ◼ London apprenticeship; Mercers’ Company 1543 ◼ Attended Gonville (and Caius) College Cambridge ◼ Employed on Business abroad (France, Flanders) ◼ Royal agent for Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I ◼ Mainly overseas, especially Antwerp (Bourse) but also Germany, France, Spain – and in London ◼ Raised loans and negotiated interest for the Crown; saved Crown from bankruptcy by application of ‘Gresham’s Law’ ◼ Continued under Elizabeth I (1558); association with William Cecil (Lord Burghley). Knighted in 1559 ◼ Expanded estates in England (1560’s); Built Royal Exchange (begun 1565) Sir Thomas Gresham The Gresham grasshopper symbol (grasslands or a lost foundling?) Married Anne Ferneley, widow of Sir William Reade, one son (also had illegitimate daughter c 1550, private and son) collection (age 50+) Son died in 1564 – so left estate for benefit of the City of Lady Gresham London (contested the will) Gresham and Antwerp 43 Lange Nieuwstraat Oude Beurs Hof van Liere – used by the ‘English Nation’ (now part of the University) The Court of Queen Elizabeth -
Worshipful Company of World Traders MASTER's@Home “Technology
Worshipful Company of World Traders MASTER’S@Home “Technology & Trade” 18:00 to 20:00, Thursday, 11 October 2018 Gresham College Barnard's Inn Hall Holborn, London EC1N 2HH Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli FCCA FCSI FBCS It is customary for each Master to organise an ‘At Home’ at an interesting venue of personal importance to him or her. I chose Gresham College, Barnard’s Inn Hall. So a bit about three things: Barnard’s Inn Hall Sir Thomas Gresham Gresham College One of London’s few pre-Great-Fire buildings, Barnard's Inn Hall was built on Roman and Saxon foundations and in its current state dates back at least to the mid-thirteenth century. It was recorded as part of the estate of Sir Adam de Basing (d 1266), one time Lord Mayor of 1/8 Worshipful Company of World Traders London. It had a long relationship with the legal profession. Barnard's Inn was one of two Inns of Chancery linked to Gray's Inn, the other being Staple Inn. The hero of Charles Dickens's novel Great Expectations, Pip, lodged in Barnard's Inn with Herbert Pocket for a number of years following his arrival in London, circa 1820. The Mercers purchased the building in 1888 and in 1894 moved the Mercers School (1542-1959, though some constituent parts date to 1447) there until the closure of the School in 1959. The building is still owned by the Mercers and has housed Gresham College (1597- present) since 1991. It does sometimes feel like home. I have delivered over 40 one-hour recorded lectures here, run over two dozen symposia, written a book, and participated in numerous events from musical soirées to chairing conferences to running school stock market games. -
Gresham Handbook
Professorial Appointments at Gresham College General Candidate Brief and Appointment Details for Professorships in: Business, Divinity, Environment, Information Technology, Music, Physic November 2017 Gresham College Barnard’s Inn Hall Holborn London EC1N 2HH www.gresham.ac.uk Thank you for your interest in undertaking the role of Professor at Gresham College 1. Mercers’ School Memorial Professor of Business (formerly ‘Commerce’) 2. Gresham Professor of Divinity 3. Frank Jackson Foundation Professor of the Environment 4. IT Livery Company Professor of Information Technology 5. Gresham Professor of Music 6. Gresham Professor of Physic As the terms of office of the above current Professors come to an end, new appointments will be made to these positions from 1 August 2018. We trust that the new Professors will continue to educate and inspire College audiences, building on the 400 year old traditions of Gresham College, at the same time as developing innovative ideas as it enters its sixth century of existence. The overarching aim of the College is to continue to provide free public lectures of the highest possible standard in an extensive range of academic disciplines in accordance with the Vision of Sir Thomas Gresham as expressed in his Will in 1575. In aiming to fill the above position, we are seeking exceptional candidates with the necessary qualifications and experience to follow in the footsteps of a long tradition of Gresham Professors since 1597. The successful candidates will have a national and/or international reputation and a record of high-level scholarship. Applications will be judged against the person specification and criteria as set out in this document, and applicants should ensure that their application clearly demonstrates how their skills and experience meet these criteria. -
Mathematics in the Modern Age - the 18Th Century: Crossing Bridges Transcript
Mathematics in the modern age - The 18th century: Crossing bridges Transcript Date: Wednesday, 4 October 2006 - 12:00AM Location: Barnard's Inn Hall MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN AGE - THE 18TH CENTURY: CROSSING BRIDGES Professor Robin Wilson Introduction After Isaac Newton had published his celebrated PrincipiaMathematicain 1687 – the book that explained gravitation and how the planets move – his life changed for ever, and in a way that would also affect the nature of British mathematics for the next 150 years or so. His book was highly praised in Britain, even though few people could understand it, and the reclusive Newton was now a public figure. After spending a year as an ineffective Member of Parliament for Cambridge University – apparently he spoke only once, and that was to ask an official to open a window – Newton became Warden, and later Master, of the Royal Mint, living in the Tower of London, supervising the minting of coins, and punishing counterfeiters. He had now left Cambridge for good. In 1703 Newton’s arch-rival Robert Hooke died, with repercussions for both Gresham College where he was Gresham Professor of Geometry, and the Royal Society which still held its meetings in Sir Thomas Gresham’s former house. The rebuilding of the Royal Exchange after the Great Fire of 1666 had been costly, and attendances at Gresham lectures were then sparse, so proposals were made to save money by rebuilding the College on a smaller scale. Parliament was petitioned for approval, with only Robert Hooke, now frail and the only professor resident in the College, holding out against the plans. -
Trinity Physics – A.C.H. Cheung and G.L. Squires Isaac Newton
Trinity Physics – A.C.H. Cheung and G.L. Squires Isaac Newton Isaac Newton was born in Woolsthorpe Manor in the small village of Colsterworth, near Grantham, on Christmas day, 1642. His father, whose family had farmed a modest estate for several generations, died three months before Newton was born. At the age of twelve he was sent to the King’s School at Grantham, which still exists and where his signature can be seen, carved on the library wall. There, under the influence of the perceptive schoolmaster, Henry Stokes, his intellectual interests were gradually awakened. He was fascinated with the forces of moving air and water, and more abstractly with the concept of time. He built kites, a sundial, a water-clock, and a model windmill driven by a mouse urged on by corn placed in front of it. When he was seventeen his mother called him home, intending that he should manage the family farm. Fortunately, however, his uncle and the schoolmaster had recognised his talents, and persuaded her to allow him to go to university. In June 1661 he entered Trinity, his uncle’s alma mater, equipping himself with a lock for his desk, a quart bottle with ink to fill it, a notebook, a pound of candles, and a chamber-pot. He entered as a sub-sizar, a student who paid his way by waiting and performing menial duties for fellows and fellow commoners (wealthy students who dined on high table). He was awarded a scholarship in 1664, given a livery allowance of 13s 4d (67p) per annum, a stipend of the same amount, and commons, i.e. -
The Newton-Leibniz Controversy Over the Invention of the Calculus
The Newton-Leibniz controversy over the invention of the calculus S.Subramanya Sastry 1 Introduction Perhaps one the most infamous controversies in the history of science is the one between Newton and Leibniz over the invention of the infinitesimal calculus. During the 17th century, debates between philosophers over priority issues were dime-a-dozen. Inspite of the fact that priority disputes between scientists were ¡ common, many contemporaries of Newton and Leibniz found the quarrel between these two shocking. Probably, what set this particular case apart from the rest was the stature of the men involved, the significance of the work that was in contention, the length of time through which the controversy extended, and the sheer intensity of the dispute. Newton and Leibniz were at war in the later parts of their lives over a number of issues. Though the dispute was sparked off by the issue of priority over the invention of the calculus, the matter was made worse by the fact that they did not see eye to eye on the matter of the natural philosophy of the world. Newton’s action-at-a-distance theory of gravitation was viewed as a reversion to the times of occultism by Leibniz and many other mechanical philosophers of this era. This intermingling of philosophical issues with the priority issues over the invention of the calculus worsened the nature of the dispute. One of the reasons why the dispute assumed such alarming proportions and why both Newton and Leibniz were anxious to be considered the inventors of the calculus was because of the prevailing 17th century conventions about priority and attitude towards plagiarism. -
Faith-Based Unit on Isaac Newton
Marbles For Good Downloads are a work in progress. Please send your ideas and feedback to author Rich Maxwell. [email protected] Faith-based Unit on Isaac Newton Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done. – Isaac Newton It is widely held that Isaac Newton was one of the greatest scientists who ever lived. Unfortunately, less is written about his devotion to God. From a very early age, he learned to read from the Bible and in his lifetime, spent more time on theology than on science. Newton’s driving force; behind all of his discoveries and inventions, was to know God and God’s Creation. Sarah Dry in The Newton Papers writes, “Newton wrote roughly 10 million words. He in fact wrote over 10,000 letters. Only 3 million words are related to science and math. Over half of the writing, 5 million of the 10 million words, are about God.” Christianity Today add, “Newton wrote more than 1.3 million words on biblical subjects. Isaac Newton Pursued God “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-39) Introduction: More than 300 years ago, very early on a Christmas morning, a baby boy was born on a farm in England. -
Newton, Isaac, Sir (1642 – 1727), Natural Philosopher, Mathematician and Astronomer, Was Born at Woolsthorpe Manor, Near Colsterworth [Ketteringham, 1995]
Newton, Isaac, Sir (1642 – 1727), natural philosopher, mathematician and astronomer, was born at Woolsthorpe Manor, near Colsterworth [Ketteringham, 1995]. He attended School in Grantham and continued his studies at Cambridge University. Shortly after Newton graduated in 1665, Cambridge University was closed as a precaution against the Great Plague and Newton returned to Woolsthorpe, where during the next 18 months, he developed the method of “fluxions”, the basis of the calculus. He also continued his studies on light and optics, including the famous experiment in which he passed a beam of sunlight through a prism to split white light into its constituent colours. Perhaps most famous of all, he observed the apple fall, which led him to develop the concept of gravitation [English, 1977; See also Cambridge University Library; Fara; Maury; Newton Project; O’Connor and Robertson; Parsons; ODNB] Sites associated with Newton: There are several sites in Lincolnshire with connections with Newton, especially in the vicinity of Colsterworth and Grantham. Woolsthorpe Manor: In addition to the Manor House, there is also a Science Discovery Centre and exhibition [National Trust; Tanford and Reynolds]. Address: Woolsthorpe Manor, 23 Newton Way, Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, nr Grantham, Lincs NG33 5NR Tel 01476 860338 E [email protected] Website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scripts/nthandbook.dll?ACTION=PROPERTY&PROPERTYID=82 Colsterworth Parish Church: Inside the church, mounted on the wall in a small gangway at the rear of the organ, is a sundial made by Isaac Newton as a boy. The sundial was formerly on the south front of Woolsthorpe Manor, but was moved to the church in 1877 [Antram]. -
Calculation and Controversy
calculation and controversy The young Newton owed his greatest intellectual debt to the French mathematician and natural philosopher, René Descartes. He was influ- enced by both English and Continental commentators on Descartes’ work. Problems derived from the writings of the Oxford mathematician, John Wallis, also featured strongly in Newton’s development as a mathe- matician capable of handling infinite series and the complexities of calcula- tions involving curved lines. The ‘Waste Book’ that Newton used for much of his mathematical working in the 1660s demonstrates how quickly his talents surpassed those of most of his contemporaries. Nevertheless, the evolution of Newton’s thought was only possible through consideration of what his immediate predecessors had already achieved. Once Newton had become a public figure, however, he became increasingly concerned to ensure proper recognition for his own ideas. In the quarrels that resulted with mathematicians like Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) or Johann Bernoulli (1667–1748), Newton supervised his disciples in the reconstruction of the historical record of his discoveries. One of those followers was William Jones, tutor to the future Earl of Macclesfield, who acquired or copied many letters and papers relating to Newton’s early career. These formed the heart of the Macclesfield Collection, which has recently been purchased by Cambridge University Library. 31 rené descartes, Geometria ed. and trans. frans van schooten 2 parts (Amsterdam, 1659–61) 4o: -2 4, a-3t4, g-3g4; π2, -2 4, a-f4 Trinity* * College, Cambridge,* shelfmark* nq 16/203 Newton acquired this book ‘a little before Christmas’ 1664, having read an earlier edition of Descartes’ Geometry by van Schooten earlier in the year. -
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton Isaac Newton From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sir Isaac Newton , PRS, (4 January 1643 - 31 March 1727) [OS: 25 December 1642 - 20 March 1727] was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, chemist, inventor, and natural philosopher who is generally regarded as one of the most influential scientists and mathematicians in history.. Newton wrote the Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica in which he described universal gravitation and the three laws of motion, laying the groundwork for classical mechanics. By deriving Kepler's laws of planetary motion from this system, he was the first to show that the motion of objects on Earth and of celestial bodies are governed by the same set of natural laws. The unifying and deterministic power of his laws was integral to the scientific revolution and the advancement of heliocentrism. Among other scientific discoveries, Newton realized that the spectrum of colours observed when white light passes through a prism is inherent in the white light and not added by the prism (as Roger Bacon had claimed in the 13th century), and notably argued that light is composed of particles. He also developed a law of cooling, describing the rate of cooling of objects when exposed to air. He enunciated the principles of conservation of momentum and angular momentum. Finally, he studied the speed of sound in air, and voiced a theory of the origin of stars. Despite this renown in mainstream science, Newton spent more time working on either alchemy or chemistry, than physics. Newton played a major role in the history of calculus, sharing credit with Gottfried Leibniz.