Big Idea:Newton and Gravity Book

A good case can be made for Isaac Newton being the finest mind humanity has yet produced. His theory of gravity offered his contemporaries their first glimpse of how the universe actually works, and his mathematics enabled later generations to walk on the moon. Today, we know that gravity keeps our feet on the ground, but how many of us know how Newton's greatest discovery really works? In Newton & Gravity, Paul Strathern encapsulates several of Newton's more mind-expanding discoveries, explaining in lively prose their cultural context as well as Newton's early obsession with science (bordering on dementia) that made his revolutionary vision possible. Just a few of the big ideas covered here are:

Newton's discovery of calculus at age twenty-three Why gravity, one of the greatest human insights of all time, was in fact a hunch and how it actually works Why it took Newton twenty years after his discovery to reveal to the world the secret of gravity and planetary motion

Ideal for the intelligent reader eager to better understand how and why the universe works the way it does, Newton & Gravity is a fascinating refresher course that makes physics not only fun but shockingly easy to understand.

Library Journal

These two volumes are the first in a new series of Anchor paperback originals devoted to brief biographies of noted scientists. They are evidently aimed at lay readers, and their presentation is basic enough to be accessible to high school students. Athough the vivid writing incorporates humorous touches, so much attention is given over to the personal lives and psychology of the subjects that little space is left to expound on their "big ideas." In addition, Strathern (Aristotle in 90 Minutes, LJ 11/1/96) displays at times an almost flippant attitude toward factual accuracy in the historical parts of his discussion. The fundamental concept of this series is very promising, as library patrons can always use high-quality popularizations, but its implementation in these first two volumes is disappointing on the whole.--Jack W. Weigel, Univ. of Michigan Lib., Ann Arbor