Product Description
1686. Translated into English by Andrew Motte in 1729, this book is a complete volume of Newton’s mathematical principles relating to natural philosophy and his system of the world. Newton, one of the most brilliant scientists and thinkers of all time, presents his theories, formulas and thoughts. Included are chapters relative to the motion of bodies; motion of bodies in resisting mediums; and system of the world in mathematical treatment; a section on axioms or l… More >>
Sir Isaac Newton’s Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy and His System of the World
Tags: axioms, brilliant scientists, isaac newton, mathematical principles, mathematical treatment, mediums, natural philosophy, sir isaac newton, thinkers
#1 by C. Morales on June 29, 2010 - 1:14 pm
I bought this book not for the purpose of learning Classical Mechanics from it, but for the scientific curiosity of learning how the great Isaac Newton presented his revolutionary scientific ideas to the world. Of course, it is difficult to read. This is an old translation of a book written in Latin more than 300 years ago!
This book is a jewel. Just like the original works of Einstein, Maxwell, Heisenberg, Schroedinger and all those giants. The person buying this book should not expect to find a clear didactic textbook when originally it was not written for the layman, but for the expert scientific community of its time. Buy this book, sit back, scan through it, and enjoy a true piece of history.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by Ethan M. Stone on June 29, 2010 - 1:47 pm
I can hardly believe Hawking lent his credibility to this edition. Although his motivation of getting people to read classics is great, this edition barely contains any Hawking commentary, is riddled with errors and omissions, and fell apart after just a couple of months of use. Buy the Green Lion or the big Blue edition instead!
Rating: 2 / 5
#3 by Anonymous on June 29, 2010 - 3:03 pm
I read up to Prop 6 and could not quite carry on. His language is not easy to understand. I hope someone will publish a Dictionary of it. Anyway, his proof of Kepler’s 2nd theorem is clever, and he is very rigorous mathematically for his time. …
Rating: 3 / 5
#4 by Econ Student on June 29, 2010 - 4:24 pm
A few years ago I was bored with most of what was available in book stores, and it seemed as though I had read through everything interesting (a few things that were not). My desire to be intellectually wowed lead me to purchase this book, and it served its purpose. Newton’s ideas are not that difficult to follow if you take time to think about them, but Newton did not simply have to follow these principles; he had to derive them himself, and within a single lifetime I might add. This work allowed me to appreciate the brilliance of Newton in a similar manner as one appreciates an impresseive work of art, and like many fine works of art, its ability to display the impressive magnitude of its creator’s abilities far outshines its ability to teach the observer something new. In a world void of any other books on physics or mathematics I suppose The Principia would be adequate as an educational resource, but in a world where far better textbooks exist, this book no longer retains much pedagogical value.
Rating: 3 / 5