Ramble, Part 26: As Above, So Below

I rank Isaac Newton as the second-greatest mathematician of all time, behind only Archimedes. Newton was responsible for a considerable amount of truly innovative work; a notable example is the discovery of the generalized binomial theorem, which was inspired by but not derived from work of John Wallis. However, his two most important achievements were of a different character. They were works of unification, in which Newton recognized that discoveries of his predecessors could be seen as aspects of a single overarching theory. In this and the next Ramble, I'll discuss these achievements.

( Breaking the Lunar Barrier )

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