Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton stands as the colossus of the Scientific Revolution, synthesizing the work of predecessors like Galileo and Kepler into a unified system of the world. His magnum opus, 'Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica' (1687), laid out his three laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation, demonstrating that celestial and terrestrial motion obeyed the same physical principles. This provided a deterministic, mathematical framework for the universe that would dominate physics for over 200 years. Concurrently (and controversially alongside Leibniz), he developed calculus, an essential mathematical tool for describing change. In optics, he used prisms to demonstrate that white light is composed of a spectrum of colors and invented the reflecting telescope. His influence is unparalleled, establishing the paradigm of mathematical physics and setting the agenda for scientific inquiry for centuries. He is ideal for understanding the birth of modern science and the power of mathematical synthesis.