Isaac Newton

English physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton was the culminating figure of the scientific revolution of the 17th century. In optics his discovery of the composition of white light integrated the phenomena of colors into the science of light and laid the foundation for modern physical optics. In mechanics his three laws of motion, the basic principles of modern physics, resulted in the formulation of the law of universal gravitation. In mathematics, he was the original discoverer of the infinitesimal calculus. Newton's 'Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy' from 1687, was one of the most important single works in the history of modern science.