Newton showed that the motions of objects on Earth and of celestial bodies are governed by the same set of natural laws by demonstrating the consistency between Kepler's laws of planetary motion and his theory of gravitation, thus removing the last doubts about heliocentrism and advancing the scientific revolution. In this work, Newton described universal gravitation and the three laws of motion, laying the groundwork for classical mechanics, which dominated the scientific view of the physical universe for the next three centuries and is the basis for modern engineering. His Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, published in 1687, is considered to be the most influential book in the history of science. Sir Isaac Newton, FRS, was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, and alchemist. Opticks is introduced with a Foreword by Albert Einstein. The work concludes with 'Queries' - speculations concerning light and gravitation. Book I contains his fundamental experiments with the spectrum, Book II deals with the ring phenomena, and Book III covers diffraction. In language that lay readers can easily follow, Sir Isaac Newton describes his famous experiments with spectroscopy and colors, lenses, and the reflection and diffraction of light. One of the most readable of all the great classics of physical science, this volume will impress readers with its surprisingly modern perspectives. 'An underpinning for the entire edifice of physics.' - Scientific AmericanĪ comprehensive survey of eighteenth-century knowledge about all aspects of light, Opticks also offers countless scientific insights by its distinguished author.

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Opticks by Isaac Newton