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小学英语英语故事(名人故事)The life of Isaac Newton

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ThelifeofIsaacNewton
Mostofyou,nodoubt,knowthestoryofNewtonandthefallingappleandhowitledtohisdiscoveryofthelawofgravity.Buthowmuchdoyouknowbeyondthat?Doyouknowwhatkindofmanthisgreatscientistwas?orwherehestandsinthehistoryofscience?Ifyoudon't,orevenifyoudo,readthefollowinglesson.IsaacNewtonwasbornonChristmasDay,1642.HegrewupintheEnglishcountryside.FromtheveryfirstNewtonwasverymuchinterestedinthemysteriesofnature.OneofthemostdifficultscientificproblemsofNewton'sdaywasaboutthequestionofmotion.Whydidobjectsmove?Scientistscouldseethatstonesrolleddownhills,thatwindblewleavesalongtheground,andheavyobjectsfelltotheearthwhendropped.
AfterCopernicus,theybegantoadmitthattheearthitselfmoved."Weretherelawsthatgovernthesevariouskindsofmotion?"theyaskedthemselves.TheGreekshadbelievedthereweredifferentrulesformotiononearthandinspace,andthattherewereunnaturalmovementsonthesurfaceoftheearth.
GalileowasthefirstpersontochallengethisGreekviewofmotion.ThisItalianscientistwasafollowerofCopernicus.Itdidn'tmakemuchsensetoGalileotohavedifferentrulesformotiononearthandinspace.Hemadetwoimportantdiscoveries.First,heshowedthatmotionwasnotunnatural.Onthecontrary,anobjectonceinmotionwouldtendtocontinueinmotion.Second,Galileoworkedoutamathematicalformulaforthemotionofallobjectsthatfelltotheearth.
Galileo,however,didnotexplainhowallmotionintheuniverseworked.MuchworkhadbeendonesinceCopernicustoobserveandrecordthemovementsinthesolarsystem.Itremainednowforsomegreatmathematicalmindtopullthisworkalltogetherandputitintouniversallaws.
Attheageoftwenty-threeIsaacNewtonmovedfromCambridgetohiscountryhome.Therehisthoughtsturnedtotheproblemsofmotion.AsNewtonhimselflatertoldthestory,hewassittinginthegardenoneevening,thinking,whenhenoticedafallingapple.Theapplesethimtowonderingaboutthemovementoffallingthings.Itoccurredtohimthattheforcewhichcausedfruittofallfromtreesworkedquiteaswellatgreaterdistancesfromthecenteroftheearth--ontopofbuildingsorevenontopofmountains.Perhaps,thoughtNewton,thissameforcereachedoutmuchfartherstill,eventothemoon.Wasitthisforcewhichkeptthemoongoingaroundtheearth?Andifso,couldnotthesameforceexplainthemovementsoftheplanetsaroundthesun?Newtonbegantosearchforamathematicalexpressionofhisidea.
In1669NewtonbecameprofessorofmathematicsatCambridge.ThreeyearslaterhejoinedtheRoyalSociety.TheRoyalSocietywasagroupoflearnedmenfromallbranchesofscience.BeforelongNewtonbeganagaintostudytheproblemsofmotion.Hehadalreadydiscoveredtheessentialideas,butitstillremainedforhimtosolvethedifficultmathematicalproblems.Atlastheseemedtohavesolvedthemaindifficulties.Buthedidnotpublishhisfindingsatonce.

Onlyin1687didheatlastpublishhisnewtheory.Newton'sgreatwork,TheMathematicalPrinciplesofNaturalPhilosophy,markedthetriumphoftheScientificRevolution.Theverytitleissignificant.Newtonhadfoundthemathematicalprinciples,thescientificlawswhichgovernedthemovementsofearthandheavens.Thebookcompletedtheworkingoutofanewviewofnature,ataskbegunbyCopernicus.Theresultwasanexactmathematicalworld.Newtonputforwardthreelawsofmotioninthebook.
Thefirstlawstatedthatbodieswilltendtomoveinastraightlinewithuniformmotionunlessacteduponbyaforce.Thus,abulletshotfromagunmovesstraightaheaduntilitisstoppedbyatargetoritslowsandfallsasaresultofthefrictioncausedbymovingthroughair.
Thesecondlawstatedthattheforceappliedtoabodyisinproportiontotheaccelerationofthebody.Thus,theharderyouthrowaballthefasteritwillmove.Thethirdlawsaidthateveryactionhasanequalandoppositereaction.Thus,whenyouhitapunchingbag,itbouncesrightbackatyou.
Newtonalsoworkedoutamathematicalexpressionforgravity.Itappliedequallytotheapplefallingfromthetreeandthemoongoingaroundtheearth.NewtonwassoonrecognizedastheleaderofEnglishscience.In1703hebecamepresidentoftheRoyalSociety.
SciencewasneverquitethesameafterNewton'sdiscoveries.Littlewonderthattheeighteenth-centurypoetPope,lookingbackatNewton'swork,wrote:"NatureandNature'slawslayhidinnight;Godsaid,LetNewtonbe!--Andallwaslight."