Memoirs of the Life, Writings, and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton

Volume 1

Bibliographic Data

ID23503674
AuthorsDavid Brewster (0000-0002-2623-3780)
Year2011
Publication date2011-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
VenueMemoirs of the Life, Writings, and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherCambridge University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1017/cbo9780511792670
ISBN9780511792670
Open LibraryOL34463462M
LanguageEN
Citations received17

Sir David Brewster (1781–1868) was a Scottish physicist, mathematician, astronomer, inventor, and writer of international reputation. His biography of Sir Isaac Newton, published in 1855 and reissued in 1860, was the result of over twenty years' research, undertaken while publishing hundreds of scientific papers of his own. Brewster made use of previously unknown correspondence by Newton, and his own scientific interests, particularly in optics, meant that he was able to understand and explain Newton's work. It covered the many facets of Newton's personality and work, remaining the best available study of Newton for over a century. Brewster reveals much about the science of his own time in his handling of earlier centuries, and as a cleric was obviously uncomfortable about the evidence of Newton's unorthodox religious views and alchemical studies. Volume 1 covers the period up to about 1700, and includes disputes with Leibniz over the development of calculus.

1642-1727 · Newton, isaac, sir