Mathematical Treasure: English Translation of Newton’s Principia Mathematica

Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica first appeared in Latin in 1687. Newton published two corrected and expanded editions in 1713 and 1726. (See 1714 printings of the second edition here and here.) Andrew Motte (1696-1734), brother of one of Great Britain’s most famous publishers, Benjamin Motte, translated the 1726 edition into English and published it in 1729. Finally, in 1846, an official American edition of Motte’s translation of Principia Mathematica appeared. The following excerpts are from this edition and are intended to illustrate the scope of Isaac Newton’s genius.

A heroic portrait of Isaac Newton serves as the frontispiece for this book.

The “Introduction” provides insight into the need for an American edition.

On page 83, we find the statement of “Newton’s Laws of Motion.”

On pages 116-117, Newton explored the forces on a body revolving in an elliptical orbit.

The discussion on page 162 considers the effects of a body falling due to gravity.

Our planetary system possesses a center of gravity.

In Section IV of the Principia, Newton developed theories for motion of a body in a restricting medium.

The Great Comet of 1680 was studied by Isaac Newton to verify Kepler’s Laws of Motion. Newton mathematically confirmed the comet’s parabolic trajectory.

This material is obtained through the courtesy of the University of California Libraries. A complete digital copy can be read on the UC Libraries’ Internet Archive.

Index to Mathematical Treasures