Steve Pitman, age 12, of Montgomery, Ala., for his question:
WHO WAS SIR ISAAC NEWTON?
Sir Isaac Newton has been called one of the greatest men in the history of human thought. He was an English scientist, astronomer and mathematician who invented a new kind of mathematics, discovered the secrets of light and color, and showed how the universe is held together.
Newton discovered how the universe is held together through his theory of gravitation. Then, and all within the space of only 18 months, Newton discovered the secrets of light and color and invented a branch of math called calculus.
While sitting in his garden drinking tea, Newton saw an apple fall from a tree. He suddenly realized that one and the same force pulls the apple to earth and keeps the moon in its orbit.
Newton found that the force of universal gravitation makes every pair of bodies in the universe attract each other. The force depends on the amount of matter in the bodies being attracted and the distance between the bodies.
Newton proved that many types of motion are due to one kind of force. He showed that the gravitational force of the sun keeps the planets in their orbits, just as the gravitational force of the earth attracts the moon and an apple.
In 1687, Newton's discoveries on the laws of motion and theories of gravitation were published in book form.
By passing a beam of sunlight through a glass prism, Newton studied the colors and discovered that sunlight is a mixture of light of all colors.
The study of light led Newton to consider constructing a new type of telescope in which a reflecting mirror was used instead of a combination of lenses.
Newton was born in 1642. As a boy, he invented a small windmill that could grind wheat and corn, a water clock run by the force of dropping water and a sundial.
Newton left school when he was 14 to help his widowed mother manage her farm. But he spent so much time reading, he was sent back to school.
Newton was graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge University, in 1665 and returned to Cambridge four years later as a professor of mathematics. Later he served in Parliament and in 1699 he was appointed master of the mint.
Newton became a member of the Royal Society council and an associate of the French Academy.
The scientist did not enjoy the scientific arguments that arose from his discoveries. Many new scientific theories are opposed violently when they are first announced, and Newton's did not escape criticism.
He was so sensitive to such criticism that his friends had to plead with him to publish his most valuable discoveries. Queen Anne knighted Newton in 1705. He died at the age of 85 in 1727 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.