The Calculus of Newton

Born: 4 Jan 1643 in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, England
Died: 31 March 1727 in London, England

The man who today is best known for his three Laws of Motion, used exactly those principles in establishing his method for differentiation. Called his ‘Method of Fluxions’, Newton’s work was based upon the idea of the motion of particles – he named these fluents – along curved paths. The horizontal and vertical velocities, x' and y', he named the fluxion of the particle.

Click here for an example of Newton’s work.

Much of the controversy surrounding whom of the two mathematicians had developed the calculus first arose from Newton’s reluctance to publish his findings. Although many mathematicians saw his work, he was not satisfied with the rigour of his work, and considering that a publishing house went bankrupt after publishing work by his mentor Barrow, it is not really surprising.

Newton’s contributions to mathematics ended in 1699 when he was appointed as the master of the Royal Mint in his home city of London, and ended his days as an administrator, and a very rich man. However, it is unlikely that his influence on the world and the way we see it will ever be forgotten.