Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton once famously said “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”. He was rightly pointing out that none of the great minds in history achieved what they did in isolation – no one starts from scratch. But true geniuses such as Isaac Newton, and Stephen Hawking, seem to see further and deeper into Nature than ordinary mortals. What these two great scientists, living three centuries apart, also have in common is that they both occupied the most famous post in world science: the Lucasian Chair in Mathematics at Cambridge. Hawking recently retired from this chair having reached the mandatory age of sixty-five, and the world awaited the announcement of his successor. I was interviewed recently on BBC Radio to speculate on who I thought it might be. The interviewer even asked me if I was interested! It shows how little he knew about science for I quickly informed him that candidates need not bother applying unless they have a Nobel Prize under their belts or an equation named after them.
The announcement that the post had been filled was made recently. I happen to know the person by reputation, but then I am a theoretical physicist; I don’t expect he is widely known outside the academic community. His name is Michael Green and he is one of the founders of string theory. In 1981, Green and the American, John Schwarz, published their work on Type I superstring theory, which led to a surge of interest in the subject. Both men have continued to be leaders in the field and it has moved on dramatically in the past decades, most famously due to the contributions of another American, dubbed as the world’s smartest man: Edward Witten.
Michael Green
I have no doubt that Green is an excellent mathematical physicist and eminently worthy of the post of Lucasian professor. But I am equally certain that it is his profile as co-founder of string theory that won him the job, and many physicists would question whether that is a good enough reason. In the past few years there have been several books criticizing string theory as not having led to its much-touted success in unifying the four fundamental forces of nature. First, there was Peter Woit’s “Not Even Wrong” and then Lee Smolin’s “The Trouble With Physics”. Both argue that string theory has had long enough to show us what it can do but has yielded very little. Many people even question whether it should qualify as a proper scientific theory at all given that it has not led to any testable results.
Of course this is somewhat unfair, since string theory is notoriously complex and rich and we have probably only scratched the surface. It could well be that at some point this century it will begin to show itself as the ultimate ‘theory of everything’. In the meantime, physicists in other areas look with understandable envy at the way string theory is able to attract funding and the brightest minds to choose it for their PhDs at the expense of others’ undoubtedly excellent research areas.
The Lucasian chair is a high profile post, and string theory is a high profile area of science. Still, Michael Green has very large shoes to fill. I wish him well.
I want to know more about Isaac Newton. Please continue sending with his biography.
Thanks
I am Iorliam Ver Joseph
I Like Sir Isacc Newton BECAUSE OF HIS GRAVITIONAL FORCE
I love him.
okay i know u do
I love him.Happy birthday.
what a geniuos man he developed all this amazing things in time where there is nothing generally isaac newton still a live with his great work
I am asking your permisssion to use this photo of Isaac Newton for a High School Physics assignment. Thank you for your prompt reply.
what is his research ???
issac newton was a genious person.
Today, the people study, understand, analyse n evaluate the things surrounded by various is all because of your potential n reality that u practised n worked extremely hard for these things to come true. whatever certain or more things we see, believe n enjoy is created or search by you. your inventions in various fields such as physics, maths, environmental science etc is beyond words to express any. Truely amazing N MINDBOLWING.
Loving you n always will remember your contribution to the world. You were n in minds of the people will always be the most genious,brilliant,sharp person in the world of inventions.
No one did more than Isaac Newton to make it possible to work out thoroughly nontheistic explanations of what we see in the sky. But Newton himself was not in this sense a Newtonian. For he also rejected the idea that the world could be explained without God.
.
So in this regard Newton was not a Newtonian.
I would be very interested in your response
George’s Brain Storm, “A Primeval Atom Spawned All”
Prompted Fred’s Quip, “A Big Bang” on a radio Call
“It’s Inconceivable that it’s Conceivable”, Was Einstein’s Reply
“I’ll find a Unified Theory, If it takes till I Die!”
Although Max’s Math is Irrefutably Precise
Albert’s, “God doesn’t Play Dice”, is a Tenet that’s Nice
Werner’s Uncertainty is Certain, in Collider Machines
Showing Atoms Act like ‘Neutrinos on Amphetamines’
Toss Out Alan’s Inflation, and Albert’s Hesitation
Edwin’s Acceleration, And Isaac’s Gravitation
Stephen’s Revelation, And Richard’s Formulation
Because, 96% of the Mass of the Cosmos, Is Pure Speculation!
Now, Posit, if you Will, that a Universe Exists
Without a Where or a When
It’s an Ethereal Utopia, Void of Dimensions
Far beyond Mankind’s Ken
No Matter or Energy, to Albert’s Chagrin
No Quarks with Flavors, or Bosons with Spin
It’s an Enigma, a Puzzle, No Where or no When?
It just Always Was, Always Will Be, And Always has Been
This Nirvana is ruled by a Benevolent King, All Supreme and Wise
A Civilization III for Sure, Imbued with All that that Implies
An Absence of Sickness and Hatred, Only Bliss and Health
An Unfathomable Serenity, Far Overshadowing Wealth
But What if the King’s Son, Impishly looking for Fun
Omnipotence and All Aside
Possibly Ignored, and Certainly Bored
Decided to Play ‘Outside’?
We’ve All Heard the Story of Adam and Eve
As Translated by Scholars and Scribes
Some 4 to 5 Billion Years after the Fact
And Deciphered from a Language that Died
What if Adam was Atom and Eve was Conceive
A Slip of the Pen or an Err
Maybe 13.7 Billion Years Ago
The King’s Son Created ‘Planck’s Era’
A ‘Bored game’, if You Will, With Rules and Laws
That Govern the Big and the Small
With Mysteries Galore, For Mortals to Explore
In our Quest to Discover it All
Just wrote the above poem to piss off Stephan, after he published that ‘Kidney Pie’ recipe ‘A grand Design’!
i love this dude man swing low dude
what am i supose to do again well i don’t care cooooooooooooooool monkey