
Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica Authore Is. Newton Trin.Coll. Cantab. Soc. Matheseos professore Lucasiane, & Societatis Regalis Sodali. 4<sup>to. <\sup> Londini. Prestat. apud pluros bibliopolas Londini. April 6:87 This incomparable Author having at length been prevailed upon to appear in publick, has in this Treatise given a most notable instance of the extent of the powers of the Mind and has at once shewn what are the <s>Fundamentalls<\s> Principles of Naturall Philosophie, and so farr derived from them their con sequences that he seems to have exhausted his argument and left little to be done by those that shall succeed him. His great skill in that old and new Geometry, helped by his own improvements of the latter, (I mean <s>the mention of <\s> his method of infinite series) has enabled him to master those Problemes, which for their difficultie would have still lain unsolved, had one less <s>able\<s> qualified than him self attempted them. This Treatise is divided into three books whereof the two first are entituled de Motu Corporum, the third de Systemate Mundi. The first begins with the definitions of the Terms made use of, and distinguishes Time, Space, Place and Motion into <s>relative <\s> absolute and relative, real and apparent, Mathematicall & Vulgar: shewing the necessity of such distinction ; To these definitions are subjoyned the Laws of Motion with severall Corollaries therefrom; as concerning the composi tion and resolution of any direct force out of or into any oblique forces, (whereby the powers of all sorts of Mechanicall Engines are demonstrated): <s>and of<\s> the laws of the reflection of bodies in motion after their collision <s>&c<\s> and the like These necessary precognita being delivered our Author proceeds to consider the Curves generated by the composition of a direct impressed motion with a gravitation or tendency towards a center: and having demonstrated that in all cases the Areas at the center described by a revolving body are proportionall to the times, he shows how from the curve <s>given \<s> described, to find the law of the decrease or increase of the tendency or Centrifugall force (as he calls it) <s>at\<s> in differing distances from the center. Of this more and severall examples shewing us, that if the Curve described be a circle passing thro the center of tendency then the force or tendency towards that center is in all points as the fift power or squared-cube of the distance therefrom reciprocally if in the proportionall spirall, reciprocally as the cube of the distance. If in an Ellipse about the center therof directly as the distance
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Manuscript details
- Author
- Edmond Halley
- Reference
- CLP/21/13
- Series
- Cl.P
- Date
- 1687
- IIIF
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Cite as
Of Newton's Principia , 1687. From The Royal Society, CLP/21/13
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