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Title page of Mathematical Principals of Natural Philosophy

Books of Influence

Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica

Sir Isaac Newton

1687


Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (translated as Mathematical Principals of Natural Philosophy) forms the basis of our modern understanding of dynamics and is considered one of the most important single works in the history of modern science.

It was first published in London by Jussu Societatis Regiae ac Typis Josephi Streater. Edited by English astronomer and physicist, Edmund Halley, it had an estimated print run of between 250 and 400 copies. The State Library of Victoria holds one of these copies.

In the Principia, Newton (1642-1727) formulated the three laws of motion and the theory of universal gravitation. These laws enabled him to explain a range of phenomena, including the motion of planets, moons and comets within the solar system, the behaviour of the earth’s tides, the precession of the equinoxes and the irregularities in the moon’s orbit.

The Principia established Newton, at the age of 45, as one of the greatest scientists in history.