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The Greatest And The Luckiest Of Mortals
sgant writes "So says the 18th-century French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange about Sir Isaac Newton. The New York Times has a piece on 'The Newtonian Moment: Science and the Making of Modern Culture' which is a new exhibit at the NY Public Library. It includes a number of Newton's manuscripts from the Cambridge University Library, including a first edition of his most famous work, "Principia," bearing the author's corrections and additions for the next printing, have never before been shown in the United States."
That was Leibnitz, you insensitive clod!
(and thus, the science's oldest flame war is brought into the 21st century!)
It's said that he died a virgin... so in at least one respect Newton was not, and did not get, "lucky".
...he died a virgin and studied alchemy.
This wasn't just plain terrible, this was fancy terrible. This was terrible with raisins in it. - Dorothy Parker
You are weirder - you can't go five words without a spelling mistake.
Although a work of fiction, Neal Stephenson's "Quicksilver" mentions the needles-in-eyes incident and covers many other episodes in Newton's life (and much more besides, I should add) - I'm sure by now most SlashDot readers have either loved it or loathed it, but if you haven't tried, give it a whirl....
Neal Stephenson is fond of using odd spellings in the book, so you should be right at home...
Or, as is the case for me and most others, "if I have failed to see further, it is because giants are standing on my shoulders".
As an engineer, I frequently use Newton's laws of motion. I can't say that I have ever had the need to consider bodies travelling at a significant fraction of the speed of light in my work.
flossie
Write now. Defend liberty
I believe he gave credit to others:
If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.
--Isaac Newton
And let us not forget the greatest one-liner in the history of science:
If I have not seen as far as others, it is because there were giants standing on my shoulders.
--Hal Abelson
He has to change his appearance and identification from time to time so as to not stand out so much. I have it on good advice that he is currently living as the comic genius Carrot Top.
> Pretty amazing.
/. didn't existed at that time, so he didn't waste his time like you and I do :-)
Not at all !
Votez ecolo : Chiez dans l'urne !
Did you read Principia?
No, but I saw the movie. I thought it was pretty good. Definitely one of Tor Johnson's better roles. I also liked how Bela Lugosi keeps a cape over his face in most of his scenes - it gives him a real aura of mystery.
MATH BRAWL !
Everybody duck!
young nerds, pay attention to this thread and learn. This is teh bottom of the well, the dregs of the coffee, the vapors in the gas tank. It does not get any nerdier than this.