The Principia

First published in Latin in 1687, “Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy”, commonly referred to as “The Principia”, is the groundbreaking work of science and mathematics by Isaac Newton. Consisting of three books, “The Principia” was updated twice by Newton during his lifetime, with new editions published in 1713 and 1726, as he further refined and expanded his ideas. “The Principia” introduced Newton’s laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation that explained the motion of all the bodies in the solar system, an area of science that had previously been incomplete and poorly understood. Newton’s seminal work established the foundation for classical mechanics and is considered one of the most important and influential scientific books ever published. The theories and formulas created and explained in “The Principia” comprised the basis for a new field of mathematics now known as calculus. While some of his contemporaries were reluctant to accept Newton’s ideas, by the end of the seventeenth century the scientific understanding of the mechanics of our physical world was entirely transformed. Newton’s ideas revolutionized the study of physics and astronomy and continue to be studied and expanded upon by modern scientists. This edition follows the translation of Andrew Motte.