Newton, Sir Isaac

Sir Isaac Newton

1643- 1727. English mathematician who laid the groundwork for calculus and did breakthrough work in optics and gravitation. In 1687, he published his Principia Mathematica in which he applied his laws of motion to the motion of celestial bodies, providing the mathematics to prove Kepler's theories. These would be used by future astronomers to produce navigational tables. He also developed the universal law of gravitation.