Newton's laws of motion
Newton's laws of motion three fundamental laws of classical physics, established by the English mathematician and physicist Isaac Newton (1642–1727). The first states that a body continues in a state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless it is acted on by an external force. The second states that the rate of change of momentum of a moving body is proportional to the force acting to produce the change. The third states that if one body exerts a force on another, there is an equal and opposite force (or reaction) exerted by the second body on the first.
Newton is considered the greatest single influence on theoretical physics until Einstein. In his Principia Mathematica (1687), Newton gave a mathematical description of the laws of mechanics and gravitation, and applied these to planetary motion. According to tradition, the idea of universal gravitation occurred to him while watching an apple fall from a tree; this story is given in Voltaire's Philosophie de Newton, where the source is said to have been Newton's step-niece, Mrs Conduitt.
Newton is considered the greatest single influence on theoretical physics until Einstein. In his Principia Mathematica (1687), Newton gave a mathematical description of the laws of mechanics and gravitation, and applied these to planetary motion. According to tradition, the idea of universal gravitation occurred to him while watching an apple fall from a tree; this story is given in Voltaire's Philosophie de Newton, where the source is said to have been Newton's step-niece, Mrs Conduitt.
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Newton's laws of motion
