"Annenberg Media" "¶" "CAPTIONING IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE ANNENBERG/CPB PROJECT" "ISAACNEWTON'S LAW OF UNIVERSAL GRAVITATION" "EXPLAINSWHYALLBODIES NEAR THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH" "FALLWITHTHESAME CONSTANTACCELERATION." "NEWTON'SLAWEXPLAINS WHYTHEAPPLE," "BUTNOTTHEMOON," "FALLSFROMTHESKY ." "50 YEARS AFTER IT HAPPENED," "ISAAC NEWTON TOLD SOMEONE" "THAT HIS GREAT DISCOVERY WAS CONNECTED" "TO SEEING AN APPLE FALL FROM A TREE." "THAT STORY BECAME PART OF OUR FOLKLORE." "WE LIKE IT BECAUSE IT'S SO ORDINARY." "IT REMINDS US OF ANOTHER STORY" "ABOUT ANOTHER APPLE" "THE ONE FROM THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE" "THAT LED TO OUR LEAVING EDEN." "NEWTON'S APPLE, REAL OR NOT," "MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR US" "TO ESCAPE FROM THE EARTH ITSELF." "OF COURSE, NEWTON'S GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT" "WAS NOT IN SHOWING THAT GRAVITY MAKES APPLES FALL..." "[APPLAUSE]" "POLISH THAT FOR ME." "HIS GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS IN SHOWING" "PRECISELY AND MATHEMATICALLY" "THAT THE SAME LAWS THAT EXPLAIN" "WHY THE APPLE FALLS" "ALSO EXPLAIN WHY THE MOON DOESN'T." "THAT EXPLANATION WAS THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE" "AS IT WAS THEN UNDERSTOOD." "THE DETAILS ARE DIFFICULT AND IMPORTANT." "WE'LL GET TO THEM," "BUT NOT TODAY." "TODAY, I WANT TO EXPLAIN" "HOW HE FIRST REASONED THE PROBLEM THROUGH" "AND HOW HE PROVED HE WAS RIGHT." "IT CAME DOWN TO A 20th OF AN INCH" "THE FIRST 20th OF AN INCH OF OUR VOYAGE TO THE MOON." "ON THE WAY TO THE MOON," "YOUNG ISAAC NEWTON MIGHT HAVE TAKEN THIS PATH." "THREE CENTURIES LATER," "A TRIO UNDERTAKES A JOURNEY" "THAT SURPASSES THE VOYAGES OF MARCO POLO," "MAGELLAN, COLUMBUS, DRAKE" "PERHAPS EVERY EARTHLY EXPLORER" "SINCE THE FIRST PRIMITIVE STEP INTO THE UNKNOWN." "THESE MEN ARE BOUND FOR THE MOON." "THEIR DESTINY HAS ALREADY BEEN DETERMINED" "BY ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS," "BY TECHNICIANS AND VISIONARIES," "RESEARCHERS AND TEST PILOTS," "BY THE BEST LAID PLANS," "AND ALL THE RIGHT STUFF." "BUT EVERYONE HERE, FROM THE GROUND UP," "STANDS ATOP THE SHOULDERS OF ONE MAN," "ISAAC NEWTON." "IF AN APPLE INFLUENCED NEWTON'S LAW OF GRAVITY," "IT MUST HAVE DONE SO IN LINCOLNSHIRE." "OF COURSE, HISTORY IS WRITTEN WITH MANY SUCH IFS." "FOR EXAMPLE, IF NEWTON HADN'T RETURNED" "TO HIS FAMILY FARM AT WOOLSTHORP MANOR," "HE MIGHT NOT HAVE DISCOVERED ANYTHING." "ANYTHING, THAT IS," "BEYOND THE INFAMOUS BLACK PLAGUE OF LONDON." "IN 1665 AND 1666," "ITS DAILY TOLL WAS DARKENED" "WITH FIGURES ALMOST TOO GRIM TO RECOUNT" "BECAUSE THE PLAGUE WAS ALMOST TOO HORRIBLE TO IMAGINE." "THE INFECTIONS WERE EPIDEMIC," "MALIGNANT," "CONTAGIOUS NEARLY BEYOND HUMAN CONTROL." "A DISEASE TRANSMITTED FROM RATS TO FLEAS..." "AND FROM FLEAS TO EVERY WALK OF BRITISH LIFE." "THE PLAGUE COULD DESTROY 9 0UT OF 10 HUMAN BEINGS." "CAMBRIDGE, THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY" "ABOUT 50 MILES FROM LONDON," "WAS NOT SPARED SUCH DREADED VISITATIONS." "THERE, THE BLACK DEATH COULD'VE CLAIMED ISAAC NEWTON." "BUT IN 1665," "HE HEADED FOR THE HILLS OF LINCOLNSHIRE." "AND IN THAT BUCOLIC SETTING," "NEWTON SOLVED SOME GREAT MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE." "TO SEE THE WORLD AS IT REALLY IS," "NEWTON APPROACHED IT ALONG A REVOLUTIONARY PATH." "TO REACH A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIVERSE," "IT WOULD TAKE A WORLD VIEW" "DEEPER AND BROADER THAN FAMILIAR ENGLISH VISTAS." "AT 22, WITH ONLY AN UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE" "FOR A YOUNG FELLOW" "WHO'D NEVER TRAVELED FARTHER AFIELD THAN CAMBRIDGE" "THE UNIVERSE WAS AN ENORMOUS CHALLENGE." "INTELLECTUALLY," "A REVOLUTION WAS ALREADY AFOOT," "AND ITS SEEDS HAD BEEN PLANTED BY NICOLAUS COPERNICUS." "PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS," "DOCTOR OF MEDICINE," "SCHOLAR OF CANON LAW," "NICOLAUS COPERNICUS SINGLE-HANDEDLY" "LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR MODERN ASTRONOMY." "AT THE TURN OF THE 16th CENTURY," "AFTER HAVING STUDIED IN HIS NATIVE POLAND," "COPERNICUS LECTURED IN ROME." "IN 1512, HE MOVED TO FRAUENBURG, EAST PRUSSIA," "WHERE HE PRACTICED MEDICINE" "AND SERVED AS CANON OF THE CATHEDRAL OF FRAUENBURG." "THERE, SOMETIME AROUND 1530," "HE WROTE THE TREATISE THAT CHANGED NOT ONLY THE WORLD," "BUT THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE." "HE WISELY DEDICATED HIS WORK," "THEREVOLUTION OFHEAVENLYORBS," "TO POPE PAUL III," "AND HE PRUDENTLY WITHHELD PUBLICATION" "UNTIL HE LAY NEAR DEATH IN 1543." "BUT HE'D MADE HIS POINT," "THE COPERNICAN SYSTEM," "AND NO POWER COULD SUPPRESS IT FOREVER." "BASED ON ANCIENT ASTRONOMICAL DATA," "THE COPERNICAN SYSTEM WAS, IN SOME WAYS," "ONLY A MINOR IMPROVEMENT OVER THE PTOLEMAIC SYSTEM." "BOTH VIEWPOINTS WERE, TO A LARGE EXTENT," "BASED ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF ARISTOTLE," "PARTICULARLY THE ANCIENT GREEK MANDATE" "THAT ALL HEAVENLY MOTIONS WERE PERFECT CIRCLES." "THEREFORE, LIKE COUNTLESS ASTRONOMERS BEFORE HIM," "COPERNICUS USED EPICYCLES" "TO EXPLAIN THE APPARENT DEVIATIONS" "FROM UNIFORM CIRCULAR MOTION." "NONETHELESS, COPERNICUS PLACED THE SUN" "AT THE CENTER OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM" "AND PUT ALL THE OTHER PLANETS IN ORBIT AROUND IT." "THUS, NICOLAUS COPERNICUS DID THE SPADEWORK" "SOME VIEWED IT AS DIRTY WORK" "FOR GALILEO GALILEI." "IN THE RENAISSANCE," "THE COPERNICAN SYSTEM WAS A CLEAR DANGER," "BUT ONLY IN THEORETICAL TERMS." "EVEN IF ASTRONOMERS HAD WANTED TO OPPOSE" "THE ARISTOTELIAN VIEWS OF THE CHURCH," "NONE COULD PROVE PLANETS ORBITED THE SUN." "AND BESIDES, NONE TRIED..." "UNTIL GALILEO TURNED HIS INTELLECT TO THE TASK." "WITH COPERNICUS IN MIND" "AND THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN HAND," "GALILEO CAME TO GRIPS" "WITH SOME EARTHSHAKING CONCEPTS." "WITH INCLINED PLANES" "AND IMAGINING THE WORLD IN A VACUUM," "HE PERCEIVED THE LAW OF FALLING BODIES" "ALL OBJECTS FALL WITH THE SAME CONSTANT ACCELERATION." "AT THE SAME TIME," "IMAGINING A WORLD WITHOUT FRICTION." "THESE EXPERIMENTS LED GALILEO TO THE LAW OF INERTIA" "ON A SMOOTH, HORIZONTAL PLANE," "A ROLLING BALL WOULD NEVER COME TO REST." "LIKE ALL OBJECTS ON EARTH," "IT WOULD RETAIN ITS MOTION," "UNLESS SOMETHING ALTERED ITS COURSE." "WITH HIS ACCEPTANCE OF THE COPERNICAN SYSTEM," "AND HIS MATHEMATICAL INSIGHTS ABOUT MOTION," "GALILEO EXPLAINED HOW THINGS WORK ON EARTH." "IT TOOK THREE MORE LAWS" "TO EXPLAIN HOW THINGS WORK ABOVE AND BEYOND THE EARTH." "THESE THREE LAWS" "WERE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF JOHANNES KEPLER." "KEPLER'S FIRST LAW GAVE PLANETARY ORBITS" "A NEW, NONCIRCULAR SHAPE" "AND PUT THE SUN A LITTLE OFF THE CENTER." "HE REALIZED A PLANET IS SOMETIMES CLOSER TO THE SUN" "AND SOMETIMES FARTHER AWAY." "ACCORDING TO KEPLER'S SECOND LAW," "THE CLOSER THE PLANET GOT TO THE SUN," "THE FASTER IT MOVED." "THE FARTHER AWAY IT GOT," "THE SLOWER IT MOVED." "HIS THIRD LAW SAID THAT THE LARGER A PLANET'S ORBIT," "THE LONGER IT TOOK TO GO AROUND." "KEPLER'S THREE LAWS DESCRIBE THE HEAVENS" "WITH UNPRECEDENTED PRECISION." "IN A FIELD INVESTIGATED BY COPERNICUS," "GALILEO, AND KEPLER," "NEWTON BEGAN TO UNEARTH" "STILL BURIED SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE," "INCLUDING THOSE HIDDEN WITHIN HIS OWN PLANET." "GIANTS BEFORE ISAAC NEWTON" "HAD EXPLAINED THE HOW OF HEAVEN AND EARTH." "NOW IT WAS HIS TURN TO EXPLAIN THE WHY." "BEFORE NEWTON, NO ONE KNEW WHY" "ALL BODIES FALL AT THE SAME RATE," "NOR WHY THE MOON ORBITS THE EARTH," "NOR WHY THE EARTH ORBITS THE SUN WITH PRECISION." "BEFORE NEWTON, PROBABLY NOBODY EVEN IMAGINED" "THESE PHENOMENA WERE RELATED." "SO IT FELL UPON YOUNG NEWTON" "TO CREATE A NEW SCIENCE TO UNITE HEAVEN AND EARTH." "IF AN APPLE PLAYED A ROLE HERE," "ITS ROLE WAS SECONDARY." "NEWTON'S ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS NO FLASH OF INSIGHT" "IN THE ORCHARD" "INSPIRED BY CHANCE." "HE WORKED FURIOUSLY FOR 18 MONTHS," "AND YET, 20 YEARS WOULD PASS" "BEFORE THE FRUITS OF HIS LABOR WOULD BE PUBLISHED." "AND NEARLY 3OO YEARS WOULD PASS" "BEFORE THE FINAL SECONDS OF A COUNTDOWN." "LAUNCHED FROM NEWTON'S SHOULDERS," "MEN COULD FINALLY FREE THEMSELVES OF EARTH" "BY CASTING OFF THE CHAINS OF GRAVITY." "THE FORCE OF GRAVITY IS NO SMALL BARRIER." "WITNESS THE TREMENDOUS FORCE IT TAKES TO BREAK FREE." "WHEN HUMANS ARE LAUNCHED INTO SPACE" "TOWARD THE MYSTERIOUS REGIONS OF THE MOON," "APPRECIATION OF GRAVITY ISN'T ENOUGH." "IT'S NECESSARY TO KNOW HOW IT REALLY WORKS." "NEWTON ASSUMED EVERY TWO BITS OF MATTER ATTRACT EACH OTHER." "THE FORCE OF ATTRACTION" "IS PROPORTIONAL TO EACH OF THEIR MASSES." "THE FORCE WEAKENS INVERSELY" "AS THE SQUARE OF THE DISTANCE" "BETWEEN THE TWO BODIES." "THIS LAW CAN BE REPRESENTED AS A VECTOR EQUATION" "WITH A CONSTANT OF PROPORTIONALITY CALLED G." "G IS THE SAME FOR ANY TWO BODIES IN THE UNIVERSE." "I TOLD MICHAEL YOU'RE UP THERE." "HE SAID, "WHO'S DRIVING?"" "THAT'SA GOODQUESTION." "ISAACNEWTON'S DOINGMOSTOF  THEDRIVINGNOW." "SINCE THE MOON'S FORCE OF GRAVITY" "IS LESS THAN THE EARTH'S," "EVERYTHING ON THE MOON WEIGHS LESS THAN IT DOES HERE." "THINGS FALL MORE SLOWLY." "BUT ALL BODIES, EVEN A HAMMER AND A FEATHER," "FALL AT THE SAME RATE." "WHY?" "NEWTON'S LAW." "IT SAYS THERE'S A FORCE BETWEEN ANY TWO PARTICLES OF MASS" "ANYWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE." "THEREFORE, EVERY PARTICLE OF MASS IN THE ASTRONAUT" "IS ATTRACTED BY EVERY PARTICLE OF MASS IN THE MOON." "WHAT'S THE NET EFFECT OF THESE FORCES?" "EACH BODY ATTRACTS THE OTHER" "AS THOUGH ALL ITS MASS WERE CONCENTRATED" "AT ITS CENTER OF MASS." "THE FORCE EARTH'S GRAVITY EXERTS ON AN APPLE, FOR EXAMPLE," "IS" "G..." "TIMES THE MASS OF THE APPLE," "TIMES THE MASS OF THE EARTH," "DIVIDED BY THE SQUARE OF THE DISTANCE" "FROM THE APPLE'S CENTER TO THE EARTH'S." "FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES," "THAT DISTANCE IS THE RADIUS OF THE EARTH." "FORCE IS ALSO MASS TIMES ACCELERATION." "SO, WHEN MADE EQUAL," "THE APPLE'S MASS CANCELS FROM THE EQUATION," "LEAVING AN ACCELERATION" "THAT DOESN'T DEPEND ON THE MASS OF THE APPLE." "GRAVITY HAS THE SAME EFFECT" "ON ANY OBJECT NEAR THE EARTH'S SURFACE." "HALF A CENTURY BEFORE NEWTON," "GALILEO DISCOVERED THAT ALL BODIES FALL" "WITH THE SAME CONSTANT ACCELERATION." "WITH HIS LAW OF GRAVITY," "ISAAC NEWTON EXPLAINED THIS STRANGE PHENOMENON." "THE ACCELERATION OF ANY FALLING BODY ON EARTH" "IS g." "IT'S EQUAL TO THE UNIVERSAL GRAVITATIONAL CONSTANT, G," "TIMES THE EARTH'S MASS," "DIVIDED BY THE SQUARE OF THE RADIUS OF THE EARTH." "THAT COMBINATION GIVES AN ACCELERATION OF 32 FEET" "JUST UNDER 10 METERS" "PER SECOND, PER SECOND." "ON THE MOON, THE SAME FORCE WORKS," "BUT THE ACCELERATION IS DIFFERENT." "IT STILL DEPENDS ON" "THE UNIVERSAL GRAVITATIONAL CONSTANT," "BUT NOW THE MASS IS THE MOON'S," "AND THE DISTANCE IS THE MOON'S RADIUS." "THE ACCELERATION OF A FALLING BODY ON THE MOON" "IS 1/6 OF WHAT IT IS ON EARTH." "WHILE NECESSARILY INTERESTED IN FALLING BODIES," "NEWTON SOUGHT TO EXPLAIN SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT GRAVITY." "IF APPLES FALL TO THE EARTH," "WHY DOESN'T THE MOON?" "COULD IT BE THAT THE SAME LAW APPLIES?" "NEWTON'S ARGUMENT WAS TO IMAGINE" "SOMEONE CASTING A PROJECTILE HORIZONTALLY" "FIRING A CANNON, FOR EXAMPLE" "FROM SOMEWHERE HIGH ABOVE THE EARTH'S SURFACE." "FROM GALILEO'S DISCOVERY," "NEWTON ALREADY KNEW THAT A BODY DROPPED" "FROM 16 FEET ABOVE THE EARTH'S SURFACE" "REACHES THE GROUND IN ONE SECOND." "THE DISTANCE A CANNONBALL TRAVELS" "DEPENDS ON ITS VELOCITY." "IF THE PROJECTILE LEAVES THE BARREL" "AT 30 FEET PER SECOND," "IT TRAVELS 30 FEET BEFORE HITTING GROUND" "ONE SECOND LATER." "BUT NEWTON REALIZED" "THAT IF THE PROJECTILE WERE FIRED FAST ENOUGH," "IT WOULD TAKE MORE THAN ONE SECOND" "TO REACH THE GROUND." "THE EARTH WOULD CURVE AWAY" "BEFORE THE CANNONBALL REACHED IT." "HE IMAGINED ONE MOVING SO FAST," "IT WOULD JUST KEEP FALLING FOREVER," "WHILE THE EARTH FOREVER CURVED AWAY BENEATH IT." "IN OTHER WORDS, IT WOULD BE IN ORBIT." "UPHERE, WEDON'TKNOW WHEREOVERIS ." "ONEUPIS AS  GOODASANOTHER." "ZERO g, OR WEIGHTLESSNESS," "ISN'T REALLY THE ABSENCE OF GRAVITY." "ASTRONAUTS ORBIT THE MOON," "HELD THERE BY GRAVITY" "AS SURELY AS GRAVITY HOLDS THE MOON IN ORBIT." "OBJECTS FLOATING AROUND THE CABIN ARE IN FREE FALL," "JUST AS THE SPACECRAFT ITSELF IS." "TOGETHER, THEY'LL FALL IN THEIR ORBIT AROUND THE MOON," "JUST LIKE NEWTON'S CANNONBALL IN ORBIT AROUND THE EARTH." "ISAAC NEWTON KNEW THAT THE MOON," "JUST LIKE THE CANNONBALL," "KEEPS FALLING THROUGH ETERNITY," "NEVER REACHING THE EARTH." "THE MOON FALLS TOWARD THE EARTH" "WITH AN ACCELERATION OF G TIMES THE EARTH'S MASS," "DIVIDED BY THE SQUARE OF THE DISTANCE" "TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH." "THE FORMULA IS THE SAME" "AS THE ONE FOR THE APPLE," "EXCEPT THAT THE DISTANCE ISN'T THE EARTH'S RADIUS." "IN THIS CASE," "IT'S THE MUCH LARGER DISTANCE" "FROM EARTH TO MOON." "THE MOON'S RATE OF FALL" "IS SMALLER THAN THE APPLE'S RATE OF FALL." "IT'S EQUAL TO THE EARTH'S RADIUS," "DIVIDED BY THE DISTANCE TO THE MOON, SQUARED." "GREEK MATHEMATICIANS CALCULATED THE DISTANCE TO THE MOON" "AS 60 TIMES THE EARTH'S RADIUS." "THE MOON SHOULD FALL MORE SLOWLY THAN THE APPLE" "BY A FACTOR OF 60-SQUARED OR 3,600." "SINCE AN APPLE FALLS 16 FEET IN 1 SECOND," "NEWTON CONCLUDED THAT EACH SECOND," "THE MOON SHOULD FALL 16 FEET DIVIDED BY 3,600." "THAT DISTANCE IS 1/20 OF AN INCH." "THAT WAS THE PREDICTION" "MADE BY ISAAC NEWTON'S THEORY OF GRAVITY." "THE NEXT CRUCIAL STEP" "WAS TO COMPARE THEORY TO REALITY." "IN OTHER WORDS," "THE QUESTION FACING NEWTON WAS" "HOW FAR DOES THE MOON ACTUALLY FALL EVERY SECOND." "HOW COULD HE DEDUCE THE ANSWER" "FROM WHAT HE KNEW ABOUT THE MOON'S ORBIT?" "HE KNEW THE MOON'S ORBIT IS NEARLY CIRCULAR" "AND TAKES ABOUT ONE MONTH TO MAKE THE TRIP." "ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF INERTIA," "THE MOON RESISTS TRAVELING IN A CIRCLE." "IT WANTS TO FLY STRAIGHT OFF," "TANGENT TO THE CIRCLE." "IN ONE SECOND," "IT WOULD GO 40,281 INCHES ALONG THE LINE." "BY FOLLOWING THE CIRCLE," "THE MOON IS ACTUALLY FALLING." "IT'S FALLING AWAY FROM THE LINE," "TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE EARTH." "THIS IS THE DISTANCE THE MOON FALLS IN ONE SECOND." "BY THE PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM, rm-SQUARED+ d-SQUARED= THE SUM OF (rm AND sm) SQUARED." "SOd-SQUARED= 2rmsm+ sm-SQUARED," "AQUANTITYSO SMALL, IT'SSAFETO IGNORE." "GIVEN THE SIZE OF rm AND d, smIS1/ 20OF AN INCH." "FOR THE WORLD AT LARGE," "HOW ENORMOUS THAT 1/20 OF AN INCH WOULD BE." "THAT BODIES WOULD FALL FOREVER" "UNDER GRAVITY'S INFLUENCE HAD BEEN PROVED" "BY AN ASTOUNDING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THEORY AND OBSERVATION." "THE PROOF, THAT 1/20 OF AN INCH," "WOULD EXPLAIN, IN PRACTICE AS WELL AS THEORY," "GALILEO'S MYSTERIES OF FALLING BODIES" "AND THE HEAVENLY MOTIONS OF JOHANNES KEPLER." "YET, MARVELOUS AS THIS SECRET WAS," "ANOTHER 20 YEARS WOULD PASS" "BEFORE NEWTON WOULD SHARE IT WITH THE WORLD." "NONETHELESS, WITH THAT RESULT," "THAT 1/20 OF AN INCH," "NEWTON KNEW THAT HE HELD IN HIS HANDS" "THE KEY TO THE MECHANICAL UNIVERSE." "HE HAD TAKEN THE FIRST STEP" "ALONG THE PATH THAT LED US TO THE MOON." "I TOLD MICHAEL YOU'RE UP THERE." "HE SAID, "WHO'S DRIVING?"" "THAT'SA GOODQUESTION." "ISAACNEWTON'S DOINGMOSTOF  THEDRIVINGNOW." "[KNOCK ON DOOR]" "COME IN." "ACCORDINGTONEWTON'S UNIVERSALLAWOF GRAVITY," "THEGRAVITATIONALFORCE BETWEENANYTWOOBJECTS" "ISPROPORTIONALTO  THE PRODUCT OF THEIR MASSES" "AND INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL" "TOTHESQUAREOF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THEM." "NEWTON'SLAW EXPLAINS WHY ALL BODIES FALL" "WITHTHESAMEACCELERATION NEARTHEEARTH'SSURFACE." "COMBINEDWITH THELAWOF INERTIA," "ITEXPLAINS THEMOON'SORBIT" "ANDTHEMOTIONS OFALLHEAVENLYBODIES." "THE FACT THAT" "THAT 1/20 OF AN INCH IS THE SAME AS THIS ONE" "WOULD'VE BEEN ENOUGH FOR THE LIFETIME'S WORK" "OF ANY SCIENTIST BUT ISAAC NEWTON." "THE LIST OF HIS MATHEMATICAL AND SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES" "LEAVES US ABSOLUTELY BREATHLESS." "ON THE OTHER HAND," "NOT EVERYTHING HE DID SEEMS RESPECTABLE TO US." "HE DABBLED IN ALCHEMY, BIBLICAL CHRONOLOGY," "AND VARIOUS OTHER ARCANE PURSUITS THAT," "TO HIM, SEEMED JUST AS LEGITIMATE" "AS THE PHYSICS WE ADMIRE." "IN 1696, HE WENT MAD." "QUITE LITERALLY INSANE." "SOME THINK IT WAS MERCURY POISONING" "PERHAPS A RESULT OF HIS EXPERIMENTS IN ALCHEMY." "THERE'S SOME EVIDENCE FOR THAT" "FROM A CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF HIS HAIR." "OTHERS THINK THAT WAS SPLITTING HAIRS" "BECAUSE WITH NEWTON," "THERE WASN'T MUCH DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAD AND SANE." "HE RECOVERED AND BECAME PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY," "A POSITION HE HELD FOR LIFE." "HOWEVER, COMPARED TO HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS," "THE DETAILS OF HIS LIFE HARDLY MATTER." "HE GAVE US NOT JUST SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES," "BUT RATHER, A COHERENT VIEW OF HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS" "AND WHY IT WORKS AS IT DOES." "THAT VIEW HAS DOMINATED WESTERN THOUGHT" "FROM NEWTON'S TIME TO OURS." "HE WAS A HUMAN WITH FAULTS" "MAYBE MORE THAN HIS SHARE" "BUT HE WAS ALSO A GIANT," "ALMOST UNPARALLELED IN ALL OF HISTORY." "IN DON JUAN, LORD BYRON WROTE," "WHENNEWTON SAWANAPPLEFALL," "HEFOUND, INTHATSLIGHTSTARTLE" "FROMHISCONTEMPLATION," "AMODEOF PROVINGTHAT THEEARTHTURN'DROUND" "INA MOSTNATURALWHIRL CALLEDGRAVITATION." "ANDTHISIS  THESOLEMORTAL" "WHOCOULDGRAPPLE, SINCEADAM," "WITHA FALL, ORWITHAN APPLE." "MANFELLWITHAPPLES, ANDWITHAPPLESROSE." "IFTHISBE TRUE, WEMUSTDEEMTHE MODE" "INWHICHSIRISAACNEWTON COULD DISCLOSE" "WITHALLKINDS OFMECHANICS," "ANDFULLSOON" "STEAMENGINES WILLCONDUCTHIM" "TOTHEMOON." "CAPTIONING PERFORMED BY THE NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE, INC." "CAPTIONS COPYRIGHT 1985 CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY" "THE CORPORATION FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE TELEVISION AND THE ANNENBERG/CPB PROJECT" "PUBLIC PERFORMANCE OF CAPTIONS PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE" "Annenberg Media" "¶" "For information about this and other Annenberg Media programs call 1-800-LEARNER and visit us at"