Throughout 2023 we’re shining a light on some of those who inspire us throughout history and from around the world. Pioneers in science, technology, music, sport and beyond!
These incredible people can be found highlighted on our website home page too, but in these articles, we take a closer look at their stories and why we’re celebrating them.
In September, we celebrate the English scientist Sir Isaac Newton.
Born in Lincolnshire, England, on the 4th of January 1643. Isaac Newton is a truly remarkable scientist who became one of the fathers of modern physics.
From an early age (up to 17), he was schooled in Grantham, and (though his mother encouraged him to be a farmer) he excelled, going on to be admitted to Trinity College at the University of Cambridge in 1661. He studied a range of philosophy and astronomy, including the teachings of Descartes, Galileo, and Aristotle and began his own theories around the law of gravitation, optics, and calculus.
His studies in these areas continued into middle age, including a noteworthy disagreement beginning in 1699 with fellow mathematician Gottfried Leibniz concerning who invented calculus. The modern consensus is that both men developed it independently and in their own way.
While studying optics and the properties of light, Newton observed light separating into a spectrum when passed through a prism, his Theory of Colour. He went on to apply this theory to the issue of chromatic aberration in telescopes and designed the first functional reflecting telescope using mirrors rather than lenses. The Newtonian Telescope.
In the summer of 1666, Newton observed a falling apple (it’s debatable that it landed on his head!), which led to him questioning the reason the apple would fall in a straight line, downwards, rather than any other direction. He observed – and was the first to thoroughly document – gravity. In 1687, Newton published the Principia, which established three universal laws of motion, laid the foundation of classical mechanics and stoked progress throughout the Industrial Revolution.
In later life, Newton was made Master of the Royal Mint, and in 1705, he was knighted by Queen Anne. He passed away in his sleep in London on the 20th of March 1727 and became the first scientist to be buried at Westminster Abbey, alongside kings and queens.
“Newton was the greatest genius who ever lived… …(also) the most fortunate, for we cannot find more than once a system of the world to establish.” – Mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange.
What Sir Isaac Newton means to us.
When discussing great scientists, Sir Isaac Newton certainly springs to mind as one of the greatest who ever lived – a father of modern physics.
He observed our world with a rare combination of scientific expertise and creative insight, so why do we at gravity9 consider him so personally inspirational?
“What goes up must come down.”
We can’t write about Newton without noting his relationship with our own company name – gravity9! In fact, the unit used to measure gravity is Newton, and there’s a second, less obvious connection here: the 9 denotes the value of gravity on Earth. 9 Newtons!
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Despite going on to be considered one of the greatest scientists in history, how humble Newton was!
That said, this quote also speaks of his ability to learn from others and to acknowledge the steps they’ve made to reach the breakthroughs he achieved. So it goes at gravity9: Our passion for learning, growing, and improving permeates all we do – from our personal growth to our iterative design!
“Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.”
It’s unlikely that Newton was thinking of system architecture when he said this, but we frequently approach a project with refinement, streamlining, and optimisation as a goal. The first evolution of a product or system may work, but can it work better? Faster? More effectively?
We make it one of our goals to find out and to deliver the cleanest solution that we can.
“My powers are ordinary. Only my application brings me success.”
We’ve built a team of great people, skilled in their professions and experienced in their applications. Though we work with the same technologies as others in the Technology space, we see success because of how we apply that knowledge, that experience, that vision.
Like Sir Isaac Newton, we are privileged to use our insights and our vision to make big leaps possible.