Isaac Newton

LA FISICA SPERIMENTA… L’INGLESE

ISAAC NEWTON Newton was a genius. His discoveries have become the foundation of modern science. Yet Newton, like all of us, experienced human sufferings and failings. Early in his life he developed feelings of insecurity and rejection, but the precision of his mathematical proofs gave him assurance and comfort.

Those proofs and ideas, however, were nurtured through tortuous periods of development.

Isaac Newton was born prematurely on Christmas Day in 1642. He was an inventive student and a local schoolmaster recognized Newton’s abilities and helped send him to Cambridge.

In 1665 the bubonic plague raged through the English countryside and consequently Cambridge went into recess. At about the same time, a great fire destroyed much of London. Amid all the turmoil, Newton, now 23, returned to the family farm where he develop three laws of motion, a theory of coloured light, his theory of fluxions (calculus), and a proof for the law of gravity.

Much of Newton’s life was spent in seclusion. He lived an ascetic life, dressed sloppily, and rarely went to bed before two or three in the morning. There was little laughter in his life and he never married.

A large part of Newton’s life was spent quarrelling with fellow scientists. Robert Hooke accused Newton of stealing some ideas about gravity and light. Newton usually responded badly and tended to feel he was omnipotent. Leibniz was another rival. Unfortunately, both Newton and Leibniz developed calculus at about the same time. Both claimed priority and another dispute was born.

GLOSSARY

failings – difetti rejection – rifiuto proofs – prove nurtured – nutrite, allevate bubonic – bubbonica plague – peste

raged – infuriò recess – vacanza fire – incendio

amid – durante turmoil – scompiglio seclusion – isolamento

sloppily – in modo trascurato laughter – risata fellow – colleghi

stealing – furto di

ACTIVITIES

1. Find in the passage the English equivalent of these Italian words:

Sofferenza ... Sentimenti ...

Sviluppo ... Fattoria ...

Ascetico ... Male ...

Rivale ... Calcoli ...

Priorità ... Disputa ...

2. Multiple choice:

a) Newton was born on Christmas Day in ... .

1. 1624 2. 1642 3. 1462 4. 1426

b) He studied in ... .

1. Bristol 2. London 3. Oxford 4. Cambridge

a) He developed ... laws of motion:

1. one 2. two 3. three 4. Four

b) He lived an ... life.

1. ascetic 2. easy 3. material 4. Poor

c) He spent most of his life ... with fellow scientists.

1. writing 2. studying 3. talking 4. Quarrelling

3. Answer the following questions:

a) When was Newton born?

b) Where did he study?

c) What was there in 1665 in England?

d) What was London destroyed by?

e) How old was Newton when he returned to the family farm?

f) What did he develop?

g) How did he live?