The Principia: The Authoritative Translation and Guide

In his monumental 1687 work, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, known familiarly as the Principia, Isaac Newton laid out in mathematical terms the principles of time, force, and motion that have guided the development of modern physical science. Even after more than three centuries and the revolutions of Einsteinian relativity and quantum mechanics, Newtonian physics continues to account for many of the phenomena of the observed world, and Newtonian celestial dynamics is used to determine the orbits of our space vehicles. This authoritative, modern translation by I. Bernard Cohen and Anne Whitman, the first in more than 285 years, is based on the 1726 edition, the final revised version approved by Newton; it includes extracts from the earlier editions, corrects errors found in earlier versions, and replaces archaic English with contemporary prose and up-to-date mathematical forms. Newton's principles describe acceleration, deceleration, and inertial movement; fluid dynamics; and the motions of the earth, moon, planets, and comets. A great work in itself, the Principia also revolutionized the methods of scientific investigation. It set forth the fundamental three laws of motion and the law of universal gravity, the physical principles that account for the Copernican system of the world as emended by Kepler, thus effectively ending controversy concerning the Copernican planetary system. The illuminating Guide to Newton's Principia by I. Bernard Cohen makes this preeminent work truly accessible for today's scientists, scholars, and students.

Preface A GUIDE TO NEWTON'S PRINCIPIA Contents of the Guide Abbreviations CHAPTER ONE: A Brief History of the Principia CHAPTER TWO: Translating the Principia CHAPTER THREE: Some General Aspects of the Principia CHAPTER FOUR: Some Fundamental Concepts of the Principia CHAPTER FIVE : Axioms, or the Laws of Motion CHAPTER SIX: The Structure of Book 1 CHAPTER SEVEN: The Structure of Book 2 CHAPTER EIGHT: The Structure of Book 3 CHAPTER NINE : The Concluding General Scholium CHAPTER TEN: How to Read the Principia CHAPTER ELEVEN : Conclusion THE PRINCIPIA (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) Halley's Ode to Newton Newton's Preface to the First Edition Newton's Preface to the Second Edition Cotes s Preface to the Second Edition Newton's Preface to the Third Edition Definitions Axioms, or the Laws of Motion BOOK 1: THE MOTION OF BODIES BOOK 2: THE MOTION OF BODIES BOOK 3: THE SYSTEM OF THE WORLD General Scholium Index