The Scientific Odyssey

This week we look at the work of William Herschel, Giuseppe Piazzi, Heinrich Olbers, Urbain Le Verrier, Alexis Bouvard and Johann Galle as they discovered new worlds in a Newtonian solar system.  We consider the mathematical frameworks of Laplace and the Titius-Bode Law as guiding physical laws for the investigation of the natural universe.

Following the publication of Newton's Principia, the extended process of adoption began.  In this episode, we look at what barriers there were to Newton's ideas and how they were overcome.  We also look at the acceptance of heliocentricism and the reworking of Newton's mathematical formalism up through the work of Pierre-Simon Laplace.

In our second episode devoted to the life and work of Edmond Halley, we recount his three voyages aboard the Paramour to create a map of magnetic variation and survey the tides and currents of the English Channel.  We also cover his predictions on the return of the comet of 1682, now known as Halley's Comet, his discovery of the proper motion of the stars, his translation of the works of Apollonius, and his work as Britain's Astronomer Royale among a host of other accomplishments.

This week we look at the earlier career of astronomer, mathematician and natural philosopher Edmond Halley.  We look at the first part of his career but through about 1693 including his trips to St. Helena, Danzig and Paris.  We also look at his ideas on measuring the size of the solar system, terrestrial magnetism, ocean salinity and the cause of the Biblical flood.

In this episode we finally conclude our biographical sketch of Isaac Newton by looking at his life in the years following the publication of the Principia.  We look at his political activities following the Glorious Revolution, his friendship with John Locke, the circle of young followers the gathered around him in London, including David Gregory, and his intense and troubled relationship with Nicolas Fatio de Duillier.  We look at the emotional breakdown that took place in 1693 and his work afterwards including his publication of Opticks.  Finally, we consider his legacy though the words of those who followed him.

IN this impromptu and unscripted episode, I talk about the recent announcement of the discovery of severn earth-like world orbiting a nearby class M star now named TRAPPIST-1 after the telescope used to make the initial discovery.  I look at how exoplanets are discovered, the specifics of this discovery, what we know and why it is important.  Also discussed are the ideas of scientific collaboration and the concept of universality.

In 1687, Issac Newton, through the hard work and auspices of Edmund Halley, published the greatest scientific work of all time.  In this episode we examine the events that led to the book's creation including Newton's correspondences with Robert Hooke and John Flamsteed.  We also spend a bit of time considering the work's content.

This week we look at Newton's work in the area of alchemy and examine his heretical religious views.

In this episode we look at the emergence of Isaac Newton onto the public stage with the publication of his first work on Optics in the pages of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in 1672.  We then examine the growing conflict between Newton and Robert Hooke and consider the work of the Society's secretary, Henry Oldenburg in fostering scientific communication during the turmoil.

In part 1 of our multipart biography of the father of physics, we look at the life of Isaac Newton from his early years in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire through his grammar school days to his time at Trinity College, Cambridge.  We take some time to specifically look at the cultural and religious background that influenced his upbringing as well as his work on vision, color, light and optics.