Calculus

    Newton shares the distinction of discovering calculus with German mathematician Gottfried Leibniz. Remarkably, both men made this discovery independent of the other at about the same time. Newton discovered calculus, while simultaneously trying to understand the motion of heavenly bodies, and find the area under curves. The principles of Calculus were the beginning of modern mathematics.

Light

    Newton used a prism to show white light can be broken into a multicolored spectrum. Most people at the time believed it was the prism which created color and that white light was pure. Newton caused people to begin to question this long held assumption.

The Telescope

    Newton was frustrated by the inadequate picture he got from using a refracting telescope. Besides being fuzzy, the image had a rainbow of color around the edge of it. Rather than wait for someone else to build one, Newton took the task upon himself to build a reflecting telescope using mirrors instead of magnifying lenses. His success caught the attention of the world's leading scientists for the first time.

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