Who among the following discovered the laws of gravity and motion?

Key Points

• Isaac Newton, an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, and author, is widely recognized as one of the most influential scientists of all time.
• He formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation, which laid the foundation for classical mechanics.
• Newton's work "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica," commonly known as the Principia, was first published in 1687 and contains his laws of motion and universal gravitation.
• His work in optics, especially the study of light and color, and the development of the reflecting telescope, revolutionized the field.

Additional Information

• Galileo Galilei:
  • Galileo was an Italian astronomer, physicist, and engineer who played a key role in the scientific revolution during the Renaissance.
  • He is known for his improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations, as well as his support for Copernican heliocentrism.
  • Galileo's work laid the groundwork for the development of modern physics and observational astronomy.
• Leonardo da Vinci:
  • Leonardo was an Italian polymath of the Renaissance whose areas of interest included invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, paleontology, and cartography.
  • He is widely considered one of the greatest painters of all time, known for works such as "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper."
  • His notebooks contain drawings of various inventions, including flying machines and weaponry, showcasing his genius in engineering and anatomy.
• Albert Einstein:
  • Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics).
  • His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science.
  • Einstein is best known for his equation E = mc², which states that energy and mass are interchangeable.
  • He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect, a pivotal step in the development of quantum theory.