Newton was a natural philosopher (the word "scientist" had not yet been coined)
who described a planetary system held together by gravitational forces. His "Principia" changed
science forever; gravity not only explained the orbits of stars, it explained common earthly events
as well. Newton established a way of thinking that still shapes our everyday understanding of
how the world works.

The Science and Discovery series recreates one of history's most successful journeys: four thousand
years of scientific efforts to better understand and control the physical world. Science has often
challenged and upset conventional wisdom or accepted practices; this is a story of vested interests
and independent thinkers, experiments and theories, change and progress.

Montana State University