Summary

Isaac Newton's quarantine period led to groundbreaking scientific discoveries, including the laws of gravity and the nature of light, and his solitary confinement exemplifies the potential for profound thought and innovation during times of isolation.

Abstract

During the Great Plague of London in 1665, Isaac Newton, then a relatively unknown scholar, returned to his family farm in Woolsthorpe for 18 months of isolation. It was during this period that Newton made monumental contributions to science, including the discovery of the universal law of gravity, the foundational principles of optics and color theory, and the development of calculus. His work laid the groundwork for modern physics and mathematics. Newton's approach to seeking truth in solitude is paralleled by the work of Albert Einstein, whose theory of general relativity further revolutionized our understanding of gravity as a consequence of spacetime curvature. Despite these advancements, gravity remains a challenge in quantum mechanics, as it does not fit neatly with the other fundamental forces, which are described by particle interactions. The quest for a unified theory that reconciles gravity with quantum mechanics continues to be one of the most significant challenges in physics.

Opinions

Newton's preference for solitude and deep intellectual thought is presented as a key factor in his ability to make groundbreaking discoveries.
The article suggests that Newton's era of isolation and lack of distractions, such as the internet or romantic relationships, was conducive to his extraordinary productivity and focus.
Newton is described as having a difficult personality, being rude, untrusting, and petty, which may have contributed to his preference for solitude.
The author draws a parallel between Newton's time and the current COVID-19 pandemic, encouraging readers to use their time in isolation to engage in deep thought and potentially make significant discoveries.
The article conveys a sense of reverence for Newton's achievements and implies that his work was only the beginning of our understanding of gravity.
Einstein's general theory of relativity is highlighted as another major shift in our comprehension of gravity, emphasizing the ongoing evolution of scientific knowledge.
The challenge of integrating gravity into the framework of quantum mechanics is acknowledged, with string theory mentioned as a potential avenue for unification.
The author expresses that the constraints of having to align new theories with both special relativity and quantum theory make the search for a unified theory particularly difficult.
The article concludes with a subtle endorsement of ZAI.chat, an AI service positioned as a cost-effective alternative to ChatGPT Plus (GPT-4), suggesting it as a tool for readers interested in exploring the mysteries of physics or other deep subjects.

Isaac Newton Discovered Gravity While in Quarantine

Solitude and self-isolation is the time for deep thinking.

Isaac Newton was an incredibly smart guy. A genius, who changed the views on our world with the laws of gravity, discovered that colors are a property of light, and invented calculus along the way.

Truth to be told, he is also said to have had a terrible personality. He didn’t go along with most other people and was described as rude, untrusting, and petty. He preferred to spend his time in solitude with his own intellectual thoughts. But in that kind of self-company, who can blame him?

Newton’s work during isolation

The following quotes are from “The Ascent of Gravity: The Quest to Understand the Force that Explains Everything” by Marcus Chown.

In August 1665, bubonic plague was raging in London. So great was the dread of contamination that in Cambridge, 55 miles to the north-east, the university was closed.

Just like in our Corona-times, the University was closed. Toilet paper was not yet invented in 1665, so Newton did not have to worry about that.

Newton, twenty-two years old, unremarkable, unknown, made the trek, by foot, by horse-drawn cart, back to his family farm in Woolsthorpe. There he remained secluded for eighteen months, during which time he not only discovered the universal law of gravity but changed the face of science.

18 months? Okay, that’s a bit longer than I expect University to be closed this time … but still, 18 months working from home, in which he frameshifted the whole scientific view of the Universe. I bet he didn’t have access to the internet. And since he didn’t have any romantic relationships, he didn’t have small mini-Newton’s begging for his attention either.

‘My greatest friend is truth,’ Newton had written. At Woolsthorpe, while the horror of plague stalked England, Newton began to seek that truth. ‘Voyaging through strange seas of thought alone,’ he would become the pre-eminent mathematician in the world. He would discover the laws of optics and colours, the mathematics of ‘calculus’ and the ‘binomial theorem’. But, most significantly of all, he would find the universal law of gravitation.

Be like Newton. Seek that truth! You might think that it’s too late to discover the secrets of gravity, but not to worry. Newton’s discovery was only the beginning.

Einstein and beyond

In 1915, Albert Einstein once again changed our view of gravity, by introducing us to the general theory of relativity. While Newton described gravity as an attractive force between to objects, Einstein said that gravity is nothing but a consequence of the curvature in spacetime.

In the famous words of John Wheeler: “Matter tells space-time how to curve. And warped space-time tells matter how to move.”

In the Newtonian picture of gravity, space and time are absolute, fixed quantities, while in the Einsteinian picture, spacetime is a single, unified structure where the three dimensions of space and the one dimension of time are inextricably linked. Image credits: NASA

Einstein changed our view on the Universe, from fixed space and time as absolute values to spacetime being a single 4-dimensional structure, which is disturbed by existing matter. We might think of Earth orbiting the Sun in a circular or elliptical path, but in reality, Earth travels in a straight line through a spacetime curved by the mass of the Sun. Gravity is the result of this curvature.

So are we done with gravity now? All good? No, wait, there is more to discover … you still have a chance to come up with something new in your time of solitude.

Unsolved issues with gravity

Quantum mechanics has given us a deeper understanding of our world’s fundamental building blocks, describing it by particles and particle fields. Gravity seems to be the black sheep, that doesn’t quite fit in the rest of the quantum theory to describe the world.

We have four fundamental forces: Gravity, the weak force, the strong force, and the electromagnetic force.

Those last three forces are now described as interacting particles — or the force carriers — that are exchanged between matter particles.

The force carriers of the four fundamental forces. Elementary-comic.com

But gravity? We don’t know whether a graviton exists and hence whether gravity can be described with quantum mechanics and united with the other three forces. It’s one of the biggest challenges of our times, which so far has resulted in the string theory as the closest thing to some kind of answer.

The game is on.

So if you need something to do in your social distancing and isolation, you might throw yourself into the unknown of physics, solving the mysteries of quantum gravity. But beware: it turns out that the rules are strict.

Physicists are not, it turns out, free to invent any old theory they like. Far from it. Their theory must be consistent with both special relativity and quantum theory. In fact, so ridiculously tight is this constraint on reality that the overwhelming majority of theories that physicists come up with are instantly ruled out. ‘This is why it is so hard to find a deeper, more fundamental theory,’ says Arkani-Hamed.