The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, by Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727) Translated into English by Andrew Motte (1693 - 1728) Published by Daniel Adee, 1846. Edited by N. W. Chittenden Images and text used from Wikisource (Public Domain) Addendum, by Nicolae Sfetcu: - Historical context: Action at a distance - The methodology of Isaac Newton - The dispute over the priority of the law of gravity Cover: Portrait of Isaac Newton (1642-1727), by Godfrey Kneller (1646–1723), oil on canvas, 1689, Collection Isaac Newton Institute (cropped and processed) The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy (Latin: "Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica"), often abbreviated as Principia or Principia Mathematica, the Isaac Newton's masterpiece, was published in London on July 5, 1687. The text of the third edition in Latin, 1726 , will be revised and enriched for the last time by Newton, being generally considered as a reference. The book is one of the most important scientific books ever published, being the foundation of classical mechanics. It is considered by most physicists to be the most famous book in this field. Newton applies here the mathematical laws to the study of natural phenomena. The book contains Newton's laws of motion that formed the basis of Newtonian mechanics, as well as the universal law of gravity. Most translations of the book are based on Newton's third edition in 1726. The first translation, in 1729, belongs to Andrew Motte, republished in 1846 by Daniel Adee as the first American edition, edited by N. W. Chittenden. The book begins with definitions, laws, or axioms, followed by three parts (or "books") about "the motion of bodies" and "the system of the world." “This most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being... This Being governs all things, not as the soul of the world, but as Lord over all; and on account of his dominion he is wont, to be called Lord God παντοκρατωρ or Universal Ruler.” (Isaac Newton) ”The whole evolution of our ideas about the processes of nature … might be regarded as an organic development of Newton’s work.” (Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar)

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1934.

Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica provides a coherent and deductive presentation of his discovery of the universal law of gravitation. It is very much more than a demonstration that 'to us it is enough that gravity really does exist and act according to the laws which wehave explained and abundantly serves to account for all the motions of the celestial bodies and the sea'. It is important to us as a model of all mathematical physics.Representing a decade's work from a distinguished physicist, this is the first comprehensive analysis of Newton's Principia without recourse to secondary sources. Professor Chandrasekhar analyses some 150 propositions which form a direct chain leading to Newton's formulation of his universal law ofgravitation. In each case, Newton's proofs are arranged in a linear sequence of equations and arguments, avoiding the need to unravel the necessarily convoluted style of Newton's connected prose. In almost every case, a modern version of the proofs is given to bring into sharp focus the beauty,clarity, and breath-taking economy of Newton's methods.Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar is one of the most reknowned scientists of the twentieth century, whose career spanned over 60 years. Born in India, educated at the University of Cambridge in England, he served as Emeritus Morton D. Hull Distinguished Service Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at theUniversity of Chicago, where he has was based from 1937 until his death in 1996. His early research into the evolution of stars is now a cornerstone of modern astrophysics, and earned him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1983. Later work into gravitational interactions between stars, the properties offluids, magnetic fields, equilibrium ellipsoids, and black holes has earned him awards throughout the world, including the Gold Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society in London (1953), the National Medal of Science in the United States (1966), and the Copley Medal from the Royal Society (1984).His many publications include Radiative transfer (1950), Hydrodynamic and hydromagnetic stability (1961), and The mathematical theory of black holes (1983), each being praised for its breadth and clarity. Newton's Principia for the common reader is the result of Professor Chandrasekhar's profoundadmiration for a scientist whose work he believed is unsurpassed, and unsurpassable.

Newton's philosophical analysis of space and time /Robert Disalle --Newton's concepts of force and mass, with notes on the Laws of Motion /I. Bernard Cohen --Curvature in Newton's dynamics /J. Bruce Brackenridge and Michael Nauenberg --Methodology of the Principia /George E. Smith --Newton's argument for universal gravitation /William Harper --Newton and celestial mechanics /Curtis Wilson --Newton's optics and atomism /Alan E. Shapiro --Newton's metaphysics /Howard Stein --Analysis and synthesis in Newton's mathematical work /Niccolò Guicciardini --Newton, active powers, and the mechanical philosophy /Alan Gabbey --Background to Newton's chymistry /William Newman --Newton's alchemy /Karin Figala --Newton on prophecy and the Apocalypse /Maurizio Mamiani --Newton and eighteenth-century Christianity /Scott Mandelbrote --Newton versus Leibniz : from geomentry to metaphysics /A. Rupert Hall --Newton and the Leibniz-Clarke correspondence /Domenico Bertoloni Meli.

* A descriptive and analytical guide to the development of Western science from AD 1500, and to the diversity and course of that development first in Europe and later across the world * Presented in clear, non-technical language * Extensive indexes of Subjects and Names `Indeed a companion volume whose 67 essays give pleasure and instruction ... an ambitious and successful work.' - Times Literary Supplement `This work is an essential resource for libraries everywhere. For specialist science libraries willing to keep just one encyclopaedic guide to history, for undergraduate libraries seeking to provide easily accessible information, for the devisers of university curricula, for the modern social historian or even the eclectic scientist taking a break from simply making history, this is the book for you.' - Times Higher Education Supplement `A pleasure to read with a carefully chosen typeface, well organized pages and ample margins ... it is very easy to find one's way around. This is a book which will be consulted widely.' - Technovation `This is a commendably easy book to use.' - British Journal of the History of Science `Scholars from other areas entering this field, students taking the vertical approach and teachers coming from any direction cannot fail to find this an invaluable text.' - History of Science Journal

An analysis of Newton's mathematical work, from early discoveries to mature reflections, and a discussion of Newton's views on the role and nature of mathematics. Historians of mathematics have devoted considerable attention to Isaac Newton's work on algebra, series, fluxions, quadratures, and geometry. In Isaac Newton on Mathematical Certainty and Method, Niccolò Guicciardini examines a critical aspect of Newton's work that has not been tightly connected to Newton's actual practice: his philosophy of mathematics. Newton aimed to inject certainty into natural philosophy by deploying mathematical reasoning (titling his main work The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy most probably to highlight a stark contrast to Descartes's Principles of Philosophy). To that end he paid concerted attention to method, particularly in relation to the issue of certainty, participating in contemporary debates on the subject and elaborating his own answers. Guicciardini shows how Newton carefully positioned himself against two giants in the “common” and “new” analysis, Descartes and Leibniz. Although his work was in many ways disconnected from the traditions of Greek geometry, Newton portrayed himself as antiquity's legitimate heir, thereby distancing himself from the moderns. Guicciardini reconstructs Newton's own method by extracting it from his concrete practice and not solely by examining his broader statements about such matters. He examines the full range of Newton's works, from his early treatises on series and fluxions to the late writings, which were produced in direct opposition to Leibniz. The complex interactions between Newton's understanding of method and his mathematical work then reveal themselves through Guicciardini's careful analysis of selected examples. Isaac Newton on Mathematical Certainty and Method uncovers what mathematics was for Newton, and what being a mathematician meant to him.

An important monograph summarizing the development of a classification system of finite p-groups.

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