... was not, as its abbreviated Latin title might seem to suggest, principally about the theory of mathematics. Its full title was Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica – Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. In it, Newton stated the three universal laws of motion, presented a method of geometrical analysis using 'first and last ratios' (equivalent to calculus), gave the first analytical determination (based on Boyle's law) of the speed of sound in air, inferred the oblateness of Earth's spheroidal figure, accounted for the precession of the equinoxes as a result of the Moon's gravitational attraction on the Earth's oblateness, initiated the gravitational study of the irregularities in the motion of the Moon, provided a theory for the determination of the orbits of comets ... and much more.
© Haydn Thompson 2020