science

Newton's Apple

Newton's Apple is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Newton's Apple rather than just read about it. In short: Newton's Apple is an American educational television program produced and developed by KTCA of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, and distributed to PBS stations in the United States that ran from October 15, 1983, to January 3, 1998, with reruns continuing until October 31, 1999. The show's title is based on the legend of Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree and an apple falling near him—more popularly, on his head—prompt…

Key takeaways

Newton's Apple belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Newton's Apple to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Newton's Apple from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Newton's Apple is an American educational television program produced and developed by KTCA of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, and distributed to PBS stations in the United States that ran from October 15, 1983, to January 3, 1998, with reruns continuing until October 31, 1999. The show's title is based on the legend of Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree and an apple falling near him—more popularly, on his head—prompting him to ponder what makes things fall, leading to the development of his theory of gravitation (an event often loosely described as him "discovering" gravity). The show was produced by Twin Cities Public Television (TPT). For most of the run, the show's theme song was Ruckzuck by Kraftwerk, later remixed by Absolute Music. Earlier and later episodes of the show featured an original song. Ira Flatow was the show's first host during the first five seasons and in the 6th season, he was replaced by David Heil, then assistant director of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). In the 5th season, Peggy Knapp joined the show as a field reporter and later became the co-host in the 13th season. The last three seasons were hosted by the team of Peggy Knapp, Dave Huddleston, Brian Hackney, David Heil and SuChin Pak. In the 14th season, Peggy Knapp left and the show added actress and voiceover artist Eileen Galindo to the cast. An occasional short feature called "Science of the Rich and Famous" featured celebrities explaining a scientific principle or natural or physical phenomenon; for example, rock star Ted Nugent explained guitar feedback, Olympic gold medalist skater Scott Hamilton demonstrated angular momentum in the context of a skater's spin, Monty Hall explained principles of probability, and Betty White showed how cats purr. Newton's Apple won numerous national awards including the American Association for the Advancement of Science Science Journalism Award, the Parent's Choice Award, and the 1989 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Series. A segment in the early years, titled "Newton's Lemons," used 1950s-era newsreels of a device that was considered "futuristic" at the time of its introduction but had long since been simply forgotten. Quick clips from the series were also aired in between programming as "A Bite from Newton's Apple" on many PBS stations.

Episodes

Season 1 (1983–1984) Body is Fat; Fiber Optics; Fainting Chat; Dolphins (October 15, 1983) Voiceprints; Curveball; Goosebumps Chat; Hawk (October 22, 1983) Astronaut Training; How A Hand Falls Asleep; Clouded Leopard (October 29, 1983) Hypnosis; Sky Blue; Seeing Stars Chat; Cold Remedies (November 5, 1983) Visual Cliff; Heart; Ears Pop Chat; Wolves (November 12, 1983) Video Games; Holograms; Funny Bone Chat; Onions & Tears Chat (November 19, 1983) Color Blindness; Taste Buds; Black Hole Chat (November 26, 1983) Digital Sound; Eggs; Teeth Chatter Chat; Camel (December 3, 1983) Ultrasound; Spacesuit; Knuckles Crack Chat; Porcupine (December 10, 1983) Robots; X-Terrestrials; Headaches Chat; Parrots (December 17, 1983) Wagon Wheel; Prosthetics; Armadillo (December 24, 1983) Police Radar; Voice Synthesis; Skin & Wrinkles Chat; Snake & Lizard (December 31, 1983) Karate; Lightning; Tears Chat; Opossum (January 7, 1984)

Season 2 (1984–1985) Mummies; Bicycles; Helium Chat; Owl (October 13, 1984) Hot-Air Balloons; Hearing; Side Stitch Chat; Beluga Whales (October 20, 1984) Fire; Artificial Heart; Penguins (October 27, 1984) Lie Detector; Golf Balls; Hiccup Chat; Cold Remedies (November 3, 1984) Imploding Buildings; Snoring; Stomach Growl Chat; Walrus (November 10, 1984) Computer Graphics; Smell; Tarantula Chat; Inventors' Fair (November 17, 1984) Pain; Optical Illusions; Wine Glass Sing Chat; Iguana (November 24, 1984) Electricity; Vision; Tennis Elbow Chat; Bubbles (December 1, 1984) Thermography; Voice; Yawn Chat; Pronghorn (December 8, 1984) Car Crash; Allergies; Blush Chat; Reindeer (December 15, 1984) Sports Clinics; Radioactivity; Acne Chat; Baby Tigers (December 22, 1984) Space Shuttle (December 29, 1984) Balance; Cooking; Scientists Disagree; Eagle (January 5, 1985)

Season 3 (1985–1986) Earnie; Rainbow; Popcorn Chat; Pygmy Hippo (October 12, 1985) Dinosaurs; Bullet Proof Vest; Heartburn Chat; Killer Whales (October 22, 1985) Space Shuttle; Rube Goldberg; Crazy Inventions (October 29, 1985) Chimp Communication; Bends; Sweating Chat; Cold Remedies (November 2, 1985) Boomerangs; Cooking Chemistry; Bears (November 9, 1985) Comets; Perpetual Motion; Warts Chat; Sharks (November 16, 1985) FBI; Stomach; Llama (November 23, 1985) Cancer; Tennis Racquets; Sneezing Chat; Badger (November 30, 1985) Punting A Football; Color; Jet Lag Chat; Sea Lions (December 7, 1985) Muscles & Bones; Einstein; Falling Stars Chat; Raptor Center (December 14, 1985) Earthquakes; Lungs; Bats (December 21, 1985) Headaches; Eggs & Equinox; Hot Pepper Chat; Inventors' Fair; Lion (December 28, 1985) Singing In The Shower; Calories; Sun Tanning Chat; Patagonian Cavy (January 4, 1986)

Season 4 (1986–1987) Flight Trainers; Snake Bite; Hedgehog Chat; Cold Remedies (October 11, 1986) Caves; Lasers; Skin Wrinkle Chat; Whale Birth (October 18, 1986) Hypothermia; Moon; Voice Change Chat; Yak (October 25, 1986) Sponges; Bed Of Nails; Probability; Pelicans (November 1, 1986) Bees; Blood Pressure; Bruises Chat; Hiccups (November 8, 1986) Telescopes; Food Myths; Manatee (November 15, 1986) Fossil Dig; Mirrors; Frostbite Chat; Elephants (November 22, 1986) Wind Blow; Baldness; Soda Pop Fizz Chat; Cranes (November 29, 1986) Alcohol; Helium Balloons; Backache Chat; Roller Coaster; Snow Monkeys (December 6, 1986) Diabetes; Frozen Food; Flat Feet Chat; Battery Inventions; Alligators (December 13, 1986) Immune System; Skiing; Blimp; Beaver (December 20, 1986) Pterodactyl; Rube Goldberg; Black Box Chat; Quickies (December 27, 1986) Baseball Bats; Polarized Light; Dreams Chat; Inventors' Fair; Falcon (January 3, 1987)

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Newton's Apple

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Newton's Apple claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Newton's Apple before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Newton's Apple ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Newton's Apple

In research: Newton's Apple appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Newton's Apple in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Newton's Apple is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1980s American children's television series, 1983 American television series debuts, 1983 English-language television series debuts, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Newton's Apple outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Newton's Apple in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Newton's Apple means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Newton's Apple out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Newton's Apple in simple terms?

Why does Newton's Apple matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Newton's Apple?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Newton's Apple.