KNTV PHILOSOPHY

ISAAC NEWTON (1642-1727)

When Isaac Newton worked out just why things fall to earth, he turned scientific thinking on its head. The celebrated mathematician and scientist came up with an explanation for everything from sunsets to rainbows.

PROGRAMME OUTLINE

00:00 – 03:46

Kierky and Nietzsche turn themselves into a human Newton's Cradle. In ancient Greek, 'philosophy' meant 'love of knowledge', and scientists were called 'philosophers'.

03:47 – 08:06
WHAT was Newton's big idea?

When Newton saw an apple drop to the ground he wondered why it didn't just float away, and concluded that an invisible force, which he called 'gravity', must pull objects towards the ground. He came up with three laws of motion:

1. Objects stay still, or carry on moving in a straight line, unless a force acts upon them.
2. The harder you push something, the faster it moves.
3. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Newton also invented calculus, a branch of mathematics. He accused Gottfried Leibniz of stealing his work.

08:07 – 12:37
WHO was Isaac Newton?

He was a moody child, and his work on the family farm was so bad that he was sent off to study at Cambridge University instead. He always looked scruffy, and had a nasty temper – or maybe his experiments with mercury had affected his brain. As Warden of the Royal Mint he came down heavily on fraudsters. The original 'mad scientist', Newton devoted his life to science and never married. He waited 30 years to reveal his work on calculus, and it's even possible that he kept other discoveries secret.

12:38 – 16:57 –
WHAT was life like in Newton's day?

Parliament rebelled against King Charles I in 1642, starting the Civil War, which lasted until 1651. Soldiers didn't wear uniforms in this war, and handguns were used for the first time. In Newton's time witches were hunted down, smoking was thought to do you good, and in 1666 the Great Fire of London destroyed swathes of the capital.

16:58 – 20:10
WHY did Newton's ideas happen?

Newton was intrigued by the way the universe worked, and was inspired by both Johannes Kepler, who discovered that planets orbit around the sun, and Italian genius Galileo, who proved that objects of different mass fall at the same speed. Newton and other scientists looked for explanations for all the wonders of nature.

20:11 – 24:00
WHERE do Newton's theories fit in today's world?

Newton's work laid the foundations for space exploration, as well as aircraft and car design. The law of gravity is behind the development of cranes, elevators and parachutes, and Newton's work on planetary orbit helped in the concept of satellite TV. In a spare moment he even invented the cat flap! His meticulously recorded work and insistence on proof set high standards for future scientists. He was one of the greatest scientists and mathematicians the world has ever known.