Isaac Newton naci en Woolsthorpe (Lincolnshire), un pueblo agrcola de Inglaterra, el 4

de enero de 1643 y muri en Londres el 31 de marzo de 1727. No fue un nio prodigio,

aunque demostr grandes dotes imaginativas desde muy joven: para jugar dibujaba y
construa cometas con faroles que haca volar por la noche para asustar a la gente.No
conoci a su padre, que muri antes de que l naciera. Su madre se volvi a casar y Newton
qued a cargo de su abuela. Ella se encarg de su educacin y de enviarlo a la escuela.
A los quince aos su propia madre lo sac de la escuela para ayudar en la granja familiar,
sus maestros dijeron que era torpe y distrado, hasta que un da su to lo encontr leyendo
un libro de matemticas y decidieron que deba volver a sus estudios. En 1661 ingres
como estudiante en el mismo College que haba estudiado su to, el Trinity College
Cambrige, pero se pagaba sus estudios con trabajos domsticos.
Newton dominaba la filosofa de Aristteles, tambin estudi la filosofa de Descartes,
Gassendi y Boyle; la nueva lgebra analtica de Vite, Descartes y Wallis; las matemticas
de Coprnico y la astronoma de Galileo.
El maestro que le inspir fue Isaac Barrow al que Newton sustituy en la Ctedra
Lucasiana de la Universidad de Cambridge en 1669. En 1664 se cerr la Universidad
debido a una plaga y Newton regres a su pueblo; all estudi durante dos aos haciendo
experimentos y reflexiones solitarias y sent las bases de sus grandes descubrimientos: La
Ley de la Gravitacin Universal, el Clculo Infinitesimal, el Teorema del Binomio y la
Naturaleza de la Luz. ste fue el momento ms productivo de su vida cientfica.
Newton dio a conocer sus descubrimientos poco a poco y provoc la crtica de otros fsicos
y matemticos que no queran creer que Newton se les hubiera adelantado.
La mayor aportacin de Newton a las matemticas fue el descubrimiento (o creacin?) del
Clculo Infinitesimal. Su principal logro fue identificar la derivada y la integral como
procesos inversos. A raz de este descubrimiento, se cre con Leibnitz (importante
matemtico alemn) una larga polmica sobre quin era el autor del Clculo Infinitesimal.
Dicha polmica sigui durante todo el siglo XVIII entre los matemticos ingleses y los del
continente Europeo; los primeros acusaban a Leibnitz de haber traducido la obra de
Newton, los segundos acusaban a Newton de ser un ladrn de las ideas de Leibnitz. La
verdad es que los dos descubrieron el Clculo Infinitesimal independientemente y
prcticamente a la vez, tal y como se ha podido comprobar aos despus. Antes de sumirse
en una crisis nerviosa, en 1693, Newton se retir a Londres para ocupar un cargo
gubernamental y lleg a ser guardin de la Real casa de la moneda en 1696 y maestro en
1699 . En 1703 fue elegido Presidente de la Royal Society (importante sociedad de
cientficos de Gran Bretaa). Y en 1708 fue nombrado Sir por la Reina Ana en honor a sus
descubrimientos; fue el primer cientfico honrado con este ttulo por su trabajo: destac por
su enorme poder de concentracin, ya que poda trabajar 18 o 19 horas seguidas sin
interrupcin. A los 74 aos resolvi un problema propuesto por Leibnitz a los matemticos
de Europa.
Newton muri a los 84 aos, fue enterrado en la Abada Real de Westminster, junto con los
grandes de Inglaterra.

Isaac Newton was born in Woolsthorpe (Lincolnshire), an agricultural town of England, on

January 4, 1643 and died in London on March 31, 1727. He was not a child prodigy,
although he showed great imaginative gifts from an early age: to play drew And built
comets with lanterns that made them fly at night to frighten people. He did not know his
father, who died before he was born. His mother remarried and Newton was in charge of his
grandmother. She took care of his education and sent him to school.
At the age of fifteen his own mother took him out of school to help on the family farm, his
teachers said he was clumsy and distracted, until one day his uncle found him reading a
math book and decided that he should return to his studies. In 1661 he entered as a student
in the same College that had studied his uncle, Trinity College Cambrige, but was paid his
studies with domestic works.
Newton dominated the philosophy of Aristotle, also studied the philosophy of Descartes,
Gassendi and Boyle; The new analytical algebra of Vite, Descartes and Wallis; The
mathematics of Copernicus and the astronomy of Galileo.
The teacher who inspired him was Isaac Barrow, whom Newton replaced in the Lucasian
Chair of the University of Cambridge in 1669. In 1664 the University was closed due to a
plague and Newton returned to his town; There he studied for two years solitary
experiments and reflections and laid the foundations for his great discoveries: The Law of
Universal Gravitation, the Infinitesimal Calculus, the Binomial Theorem and the Nature of
Light. This was the most productive moment of his scientific life.
Newton unveiled his findings little by little and provoked criticism from other physicists
and mathematicians who did not want to believe that Newton had been ahead of them.
Newton's greatest contribution to mathematics was the discovery (or creation?) Of the
Infinitesimal Calculus. Its main achievement was to identify the derivative and the integral
as inverse processes. As a result of this discovery, a long polemic was created with Leibnitz
(important German mathematician) on who was the author of the Infinitesimal Calculus.
This polemic continued throughout the eighteenth century between English mathematicians
and those on the European continent; The former accused Leibnitz of having translated
Newton's work, the latter accused Newton of being a thief of Leibnitz's ideas. The truth is
that the two discovered the Infinitesimal Calculus independently and practically at the same
time, as it was verified years later. Before plunging into a nervous breakdown in 1693,
Newton retired to London to hold a government office and became guardian of the Royal
Mint in 1696 and teacher in 1699. In 1703 was chosen President of the Royal Society
(important society of scientists of Great Britain). And in 1708 he was named Sir by Queen
Anne in honor of his discoveries; Was the first scientist honored with this title for his work:
noted for his enormous power of concentration, since he could work for 18 or 19
consecutive hours without interruption. At age 74 he solved a problem proposed by
Leibnitz to the mathematicians of Europe.
Newton died at age 84, was buried in the Royal Abbey of Westminster, along with the
greats of England.

MATEMTICA CIVILIZACIN GRIEGA

La matemticas griegas se refieren a las matemticas escritas en griego (c. 600 a.C.- 450
d.C.). Los matemticos griegos vivan en ciudades repartidas por todo el Mediterrneo
Oriental, de Italia al norte de frica, pero estaban unidos por la cultura y el idioma. Las
matemticas griegas del perodo posterior a Alejandro Magno a veces se denominan
matemticas helensticas.

Las matemticas griegas fueron mucho ms sofisticadas que las matemticas que haban
desarrollado las culturas anteriores. Todos los registros supervivientes de las matemticas
pre-griegas muestran el uso del razonamiento inductivo, es decir, repetidas observaciones
son utilizadas para establecer "reglas de cajn" (sin rigor estricto). Los matemticos
griegos, por el contrario, utilizan el razonamiento deductivo. Los griegos usan la lgica
para obtener conclusiones a partir de definiciones y axiomas.

Las matemticas griegas se cree que comenzaron con Tales (c. 624-c.546 a.C.)
y Pitgoras (c. 582-c. 507 a.C.). Si bien el alcance de la influencia es objeto de
controversia, probablemente fueron inspirados por las ideas de Egipto, Mesopotamia y
quiz la India. Segn la leyenda, Pitgoras viaj a Egipto para aprender las matemticas, la
geometra, la astronoma de los sacerdotes egipcios.
Thales utiliz la geometra para resolver problemas tales como el clculo de la altura de las
pirmides y la distancia de los barcos a la costa. A Pitgoras se le acredita la primera
demostracin del teorema de Pitgoras, aunque el enunciado del teorema tiene una larga
historia. En su comentario sobre Euclides, Proclus afirma que Pitgoras expres el teorema
que lleva su nombre y construy ternas pitagricas algebraicamente en lugar de
geomtricamente. La Academia de Platn tena el lema "Qu nadie no versado en
geometra entre aqu".
MATHEMATICS GREEK CIVILIZATION

Greek mathematics refers to mathematics written in Greek (c.600 BC-450 AD). Greek
mathematicians lived in cities scattered throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, from Italy to
North Africa, but were united by culture and language. The Greek mathematics of the
period after Alexander the Great are sometimes called Hellenistic mathematics.

Greek mathematics was much more sophisticated than the mathematics developed by
earlier cultures. All surviving records of pre-Greek mathematics show the use of inductive
reasoning, that is, repeated observations are used to establish "drawer rules" (without strict
rigor). Greek mathematicians, on the other hand, use deductive reasoning. Greeks use logic
to draw conclusions from definitions and axioms.
Greek mathematics is believed to have begun with Thales (c.624-c.546 BC) and Pythagoras
(c.582-c.550 a.C.). While the scope of influence is controversial, they were probably
inspired by the ideas of Egypt, Mesopotamia and perhaps India. According to legend,
Pythagoras traveled to Egypt to learn the mathematics, geometry, astronomy of Egyptian
priests.
Thales used geometry to solve problems such as calculating the height of the pyramids and
the distance of the ships to the coast. Pythagoras is credited with the first demonstration of
the Pythagorean theorem, although the statement of the theorem has a long history. In his
commentary on Euclid, Proclus states that Pythagoras expressed the theorem that bears his
name and constructed Pythagorean algebraically instead of geometrically. Plato's Academy
had the motto "No one who is not versed in geometry enters here."