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Newton's Principia

Isaac Newton

This page delivers no verdict; it presents claims and evidence with their sources. No theory in science is absolute. Method

For everyone

With three laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation, Newton explained a falling apple and the orbits of the planets with the same rules. The theory was the foundation of physics for two centuries. It still works very well at everyday speeds and in weak gravity, but in some cases, such as Mercury's orbit, its predictions differ from general relativity.

For specialists

Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica derives Kepler's laws from F = dp/dt and F = G m₁m₂/r², and accounts for the tides and the oblateness of the rotating Earth. Newton acknowledged that he did not explain the "action at a distance" character of gravity ("hypotheses non fingo"). After known planetary perturbations were subtracted, about 43 arcseconds per century of Mercury's perihelion shift remained unexplained. General relativity accounts for it.

Claims

Evidence

Supporting

Observation

Deviations in Uranus' orbit were used with Newtonian mechanics to predict a new planet, and Neptune was found near the predicted position in 1846.[2]

Challenging

Observation

The perihelion shift of Mercury could not be fully explained by Newtonian theory.[3]

Connections

Parent

Physics

Builds on

Kepler's laws

Built upon by

Modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND)

Related

CalculusGeneral relativityNewton's alchemical work

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Sources

  1. BookNewton, I. (1687). Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica. Royal Society, Londoncudl.lib.cam.ac.ukarchive
  2. ArticleSmith, R. W. (1989). The Cambridge network in action: the discovery of Neptune. Isis 80(3), 395–422DOI 10.1086/355082archive
  3. ArticleEinstein, A. (1915). Erklärung der Perihelbewegung des Merkur aus der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie. Sitzungsberichte der Preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 831–839

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Cite this page

APA

Athena contributors. (2026). Newton's Principia. Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/newton-principia/

BibTeX
@misc{athena_newton_principia,
  title        = {Newton's Principia},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/newton-principia/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 27, 2026 · Last changed: September 28, 2026 · Page history

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