Magnificent Principia: Exploring Isaac Newton's Masterpiece

Despite its dazzling reputation, Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, or simply the Principia, remains a mystery for many people. Few of even the most intellectually curious readers, including professional scientists and mathematicians, have actually looked in the Principia or appreciated its contents.Mathematician Colin Pask seeks to remedy this deficit with this accessible guided tour through Newton's masterpiece. Using the final edition of the Principia, Pask clearly demonstrates how it sets out Newton's (and now our) approach to science, how the framework of classical mechanics is established, how terrestrial phenomena like the tides and projectile motion are explained, and how we can understand the dynamics of the solar system and the paths of comets. He also includes scene-setting chapters about Newton himself and scientific developments in his time, as well as chapters about the reception and influence of the Principia up to the present day.Now in paperback with a new preface, this lucidly written work makes Newton's landmark achievement comprehensible to lay readers.

Author: Colin Pask
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Published: 04/16/2019
Pages: 528
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.35lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 1.50d
ISBN13: 9781633885684
ISBN10: 1633885682
BISAC Categories:
- Science | History
- Science | Physics | Mathematical & Computational
- Science | Mechanics | General

About the Author
Colin Pask is the author of Great Calculations: A Surprising Look Behind 50 Scientific Inquiries and Math for the Frightened: Facing Scary Symbols and Everything Else That Freaks You Out about Mathematics. He is an emeritus professor of mathematics and a visiting fellow and professor in the School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences at the University of New South Wales in Canberra, Australia.