Newton and the Antigravity Formula

Back in the late 1600s, science was still in its infancy. If you dropped an apple it would fall to the ground, but nobody could explain why. That changed in 1687 when Isaac Newton, a professor at the University of Cambridge, published a book describing three laws of motion as well as a theory of universal gravitation. Newton also came up with a brand new field of mathematics, called calculus, to explain it all. The same equations that described the motion of a falling apple could also be used to describe the motion of planets orbiting the sun. It was revolutionary! Newton would go on to make new discoveries on the nature of light. He also made mistakes. But science is not just about successful experiments—sometimes it takes a few failures to achieve success. Newton and the Antigravity Formula is a fast-paced, entertaining biography of the man who launched the field of modern physics. In addition to its lively story, it includes 190 illustrations, a glossary, and sidebars covering related topics, from the plague to the planets to the telescope.