Facts About Isaac Newton for Kids

Sir Isaac Newton is one of the most accomplished and influential figures in the field of science. However, there are many other important facts and information associated with this legend, and if you are looking for some interesting facts that you can share with your kids, well, this is post is something that you should not miss! Read on to know more!

Who Was Isaac Newton?

Sir Isaac Newton was a renowned English physicist, alchemist, astronomer, natural philosopher, and mathematician of his times. His various inventions and discoveries have gotten him immense fame and success for centuries. He has published many thesis and books in the field of science; however, his book “Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy” was the book that brought him groundbreaking success. Though the list of accomplishments of this legendary scientist is very long, however, his work in the field of gravity, laws of motion, calculus, and optics is exemplary!

The Life History of Isaac Newton

Here are some Sir Isaac Newton facts for kids that involves his life history:

• He was born in a small village called Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth in Lincolnshire, England, on 25th December 1642. However, according to some recent discoveries (according to the Georgian calendar), Newton was born on 4th January 1643. He was a preemie baby, and everyone thought that he would not be able to survive.
• Newton Sr., or Newton’s father, was an affluent farmer who passed away three months before his birth. Newton was named after his father.
• When Newton was 3 years old, his mother remarried, and he started living with his maternal grandmother. However, at the age of 12, his stepfather died, and that is when Newton again started living with his mother.
• Newton studied in The King’s School in Grantham, Lincolnshire; however, his mother made him drop out of school to become a wealthy farmer like his father. But Newton hated farming as it never interested him.
• Newton had a great interest in drawing and painting. The walls and roof of his room used to be filled with colorful artwork.

Early Education

Here are some facts about Newton’s Early Education:

• On being convinced by one of Newton’s schoolmasters, Newton, who was made to drop out of school, was again enrolled to finish his education in school by his mother. He was a bright student in school.
• After school, Newton joined Trinity College in Cambridge. After finishing university, he returned home because of an outburst of the Great Plague in England.
• His years at home were invested in developing theories on optics, calculus, gravity, and laws of motion.
• In 1667, he returned to university and was offered a fellowship in The Trinity because of his work during the university’s non-operational phase.
• In 1669 he became the master of The Trinity, and after one year, he finished his masters.

Newton’s Inventions

Here are some of Newton’s notable inventions:

Newton’s Law of Motion

Following are the three laws of motion by Newton:

The Law of Inertia or the first law: This law states that until or unless an outside force is applied on an object or in simple words, an object is pulled or pushed, it will either stay still or continue to move at a steady speed in a straight line. For example, a cycle will not move unless it is pushed or pulled.

The Law of Acceleration or the second law: This law states how a force acts when applied to an object. In simple words, an object accelerates in the direction in which the force moves it. For example: If a bicycle is pushed from forward, it will move forward; however, if it is pulled backwards, then it will move back, and so on.

The Law of Reciprocal Actions or the third law: According to Newton’s third law, when an object is pulled or pushed, it will exert the same push or pull force in the opposite direction. For example: If you lift heavy water can from the floor, your arms are exerting equal force downwards, and thus the weight then gets transferred through your legs back to the floor.

Newton’s Gravity

There are some amazing facts on how Newton discovered gravity:

• Once Newton was sitting under an apple tree on his farm when an apple fell from the tree, which made him think about the forces of nature.
• This made Newton wonder that there has to be some force at work that makes an object fall on the ground; otherwise, why would an object move to the ground from the state of rest.
• This also made him realize that some kind of force causes the moon to go in circles around the earth, or else it would have wandered off in a tangential line.

All these observations made Newton reach a conclusion and come up with the theory of gravity, which stated that there is a force, called the gravitational force that is present between all the objects of our universe.

Newton’s Achievements

Here’s some Isaac Newton information for kids that talks about his various accomplishments:

• In the year 1666, Newton’s path breaking theory in the field of optics stated that white light actually consists of a spectrum of colors.
• The Newtonian Telescope was made in the year 1668 on the theory of optics propagated by Newton.
• The Newtonian telescope was showcased and demonstrated in the Royal Society for the first time in 1671. In 1704, Newton published his research on optics, which received a mixed response. However, his theory on optics is widely popular and accepted today!
• In 1669, Newton published his work on calculus; however, it was disputed by a German mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, who stated that he was the one who invented the concept. Though some views support Leibniz’s claim, however, that was not accepted widely amongst people. Also, in 1699, the Royal Society accused Leibniz of plagiarism.
• Newton’s work on laws on motion and gravity earned him immense popularity and was subsequently published in 1686 and 1687 subsequently.

More Interesting Facts About Isaac Newton

Here are some more interesting Isaac Newton biography and other facts:

• On April 16, 1705, Isaac Newton was knighted by Queen Anne, and that is how he earned the coveted title of ‘Sir’ before his name. He became the second scientist of his time to receive this title.
• Newton did not marry; however, it is believed that he was once engaged.
• It is a well-known fact that most of Newton’s discoveries and inventions happened when he was in his early to mid-twenties; however, none of them was published for many years, and this fact succumbed to many criticisms and arguments.
• The British currency was altered from silver to gold by Newton.
• In the year of 1696, Newton became the warden of the Royal Mint.
• Newton was intrigued by the principles of analytical geometry, so much so that once he decided to take up the challenge of calculating Pi to more than usual decimal places. He actually calculated beyond 15 decimal places, according to some sources.
• During the last few years of Newton’s life, he exhibited more and more eccentric behavior. People believed it was because of excessive exposure to mercury, which was also believed to be one of the probable reasons for his death.
• The falling on an apple and discovering the theory of gravitation is one of the most popular legends associated with Newton.

The Death of Newton

Isaac Newton died at the age of 84 years on 31st March 1727 in London. He died peacefully in his sleep, and many believe that the probable reason for death was exposure to high levels of mercury during some experiments. The same was established after examining his body and hair post his death.

One of the most outstanding scientists, Sir Isaac Newton, made significant calculations and contributions in various fields of science that changed the way the universe was perceived and understood by people. His work will continue to be of great value and inspire present and future scientists for the years to come. We hope these interesting facts and information on Newton can inspire your kids too!

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