English Original
In 1669, Newton became a professor of mathematics at Cambridge and joined the Royal Society three years later. This society comprised learned men from all scientific fields. He soon resumed his studies on motion, having already grasped the essential concepts but needing to solve the complex mathematics. Although he overcame the main difficulties, he delayed publishing his findings.
It was not until 1687 that Newton finally published his groundbreaking work, The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. This book marked the triumph of the Scientific Revolution. Its title is significant: Newton had discovered the mathematical principles governing the movements of celestial and terrestrial bodies, completing the new view of nature initiated by Copernicus and establishing an exact mathematical framework for the world.
In this work, Newton formulated his three laws of motion:
1. First Law (Inertia): A body remains at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by a force.
2. Second Law: The force applied to a body is proportional to its acceleration.
3. Third Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Newton also derived a mathematical expression for gravity, a universal force explaining phenomena from a falling apple to the Moon's orbit. He was soon recognized as the leader of English science and became President of the Royal Society in 1703.
Newton's discoveries fundamentally transformed science. The 18th-century poet Alexander Pope famously wrote: "Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night; God said, Let Newton be! -- And all was light."
Despite his fame, Newton never ceased his work. In his later years, he reflected: "I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy, playing on the seashore, and now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."
中文翻译
1669年，牛顿成为剑桥大学的数学教授，并于三年后加入皇家学会。该学会由来自各科学领域的学者组成。他很快重新开始了对运动的研究，虽然已掌握了核心概念，但仍需解决复杂的数学问题。尽管他克服了主要困难，却推迟了发表研究成果。
直到1687年，牛顿才最终发表了他的开创性著作《自然哲学的数学原理》。这本书标志着科学革命的胜利。其书名意义深远：牛顿发现了支配天体与地球运动的数学原理，完成了由哥白尼开创的对自然的新认识，并为世界建立了一个精确的数学框架。
在这部著作中，牛顿阐述了他的三大运动定律：
1. 第一定律（惯性定律）： 除非受到外力作用，物体将保持静止或匀速直线运动状态。
2. 第二定律： 作用于物体上的力与其加速度成正比。
3. 第三定律： 每一个作用力都有一个大小相等、方向相反的反作用力。
牛顿还为万有引力推导出了一个数学表达式，这是一种普适的力，可以解释从苹果坠落到月球绕地运行等各种现象。他很快被公认为英国科学的领袖，并于1703年成为皇家学会会长。
牛顿的发现从根本上改变了科学。18世纪的诗人亚历山大·蒲柏曾有名言：“自然与自然法则在黑夜中隐藏；上帝说，让牛顿出现吧！——于是万物皆明。”
尽管声名显赫，牛顿从未停止工作。晚年时，他感慨道：“我不知道在世人眼中我是什么模样，但对我自己而言，我似乎只是一个在海边玩耍的男孩，不时发现比寻常更光滑的卵石或更美丽的贝壳，而真理的浩瀚海洋仍在我面前未被发现。”