Isaac Newton was an English mathematician, natural philosopher, theologian, alchemist and one of the most influential scientists in human history. His Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica is considered to be one of the most influential books in the history of science, laying the groundwork for most of classical mechanics by describing universal gravitation and the three laws of motion. In mathematics, Newton shares the credit with Gottfried Leibniz for the development of the differential and integral calculus. Because of the resounding impact of his work, Newton became a science icon, as did Albert Einstein after publishing his theory of relativity more than 200 years later. Many books, plays, and films focus on Newton or use Newton as a literary device. Newton's stature among scientists remains at the very top rank, as demonstrated by a 2005 dual survey of scientists in Britain's Royal Society (formerly headed by Newton) and the general public asking who had the greater effect on the history of science and on the history of humanity, Newton or Einstein, Newton was deemed the more influential for both questions by both the public and scientists. In 1999, leading physicists voted Albert Einstein "greatest physicist ever"; Newton was the runner-up. A parallel survey of rank-and-file physicists gave the top spot to Newton.
Visual arts William Blake created a colour copper engraving entitled Newton, in 1795. The engraving would serve as the basis for bronze statue Newton, made in 1995 by the sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi. French architect Étienne-Louis Boullée designed an unbuilt monumental Cénotaphe à Newton (1784), which he intended as an unadorned 500ft tall sphere encompassed by trees. Points of light would penetrate through the sphere in such a way as to replicate positions of the stars and planets in the night sky. The original logo of Apple Inc., designed by Ronald Wayne in 1976, depicted Newton sitting beneath an apple tree.
Poetry
English poet Alexander Pope was moved by Newton's accomplishments to write the famous epitaph:
Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night; God said "Let Newton be" and all was light.
English poet J. C. Squire satirised this:
It could not last; the Devil shouting "Ho! Let Einstein be!" restored the status quo.
The following passage is from William Wordsworth's The Prelude, in which he describes a marble statue of Newton at Trinity College, Cambridge:
And from my pillow, looking forth by light Of moon or favouring stars, I could behold The antechapel where the statue stood Of Newton with his prism and silent face, The marble index of a mind for ever Voyaging through strange seas of Thought, alone.
Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion, William Blake A Poem Sacred to the Memory of Sir Isaac Newton, James Thomson The Movement of Bodies, Sheenagh Pugh
Literature
Books about Newton Maureen McNeil (2007). "Newton as a national hero". Feminist Cultural Studies of Science and Technology. Routledge. pp. 27–43. ISBN 978-0-415-44537-5. A. Bowdoin Van Ripper (2002). Science in Popular Culture. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-31822-1. Mordechai Feingold (2004). The Newtonian Moment: Isaac Newton and the Making of Modern Culture. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-517734-3.
Books featuring Newton as a character Newton and his alchemical experiments play a central role in the 2012 young adult novels The Prince of Soul and The Lighthouse by Fredrik Brounéus. Isaac Newton plays a significant role in The Age of Unreason, a series of four alternate history novels written by American science fiction and fantasy author Gregory Keyes. Newton is an important character in The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. A major theme of these novels is the emergence of modern science, with Newton's work in the Principia being prominent. Newton's interest in alchemy and the dispute over the discovery of calculus are prominent plot points, and there is a (fictional) debate on metaphysics between Newton and Gottfried Leibniz moderated by Caroline of Ansbach. The development of an economy based on money and credit is also a major theme, with Newton's time with the Royal Mint and intrigues against counterfeit leading to a Trial of the Pyx. Newton is a recurring character in Gotlib's Rubrique-à-Brac series of comics, where he repeatedly discovers gravity or randomly bizarre laws after being (often very heavily) hit on the head by various objects, including the famous apple. Newton is the protagonist of the 2002 Philip Kerr novel Dark Matter, set during the Great Recoinage. Newton is a major character in Michael White's 2006 novel Equinox. 'Sir Isaac Newton' is a newt in The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter. The 2017 novel A Dragon's Guide to Making Your Human Smarter by Laurence Yep features Newton as a character, having lived to the present day due to finding the Philosopher's Stone. He is a teacher at the Spriggs Academy for ordinary humans and magical beings, and continues to create innovations such as a wormhole generator. Newton also displays a wry sense of humor, using his invention to prank Charles II, supposedly on the grounds of refusing to knight him. Newton is a significant historical character in Marvel's 616 universe, first as an inductee and subsequent member of the Brotherhood of the Shield, then as the sorcerer supreme of his era. He is shown to be super-intelligent and inventive and often plays a villainous role.
Books featuring Newton as a plot element Newton's alleged participation in the Priory of Sion; Newton's grave in Westminster Abbey provides the crucial clue in the mystery thriller The Da Vinci Code. Newton is credited as having invented the pet door (cat flap) as a monumental life achievement in Douglas Adams’s Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987). "Ghostwalk" is a story mainly about the mystery between Newton and Ezekiel Foxcroft's crime. In Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant series of novels, Newton formalised the system and practice of magic in the United Kingdom in a process referred to as "The Newtonian Synthesis". Newton was also a founder of The Folly, the United Kingdom's state magical institution.
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