Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Slide 19
Sir Isaac Newton, a portrait by
Kneller in 1702.
National Portrait Gallery in
London.
Before Einstein:
Newton's laws of motion and gravity.
¥Using Newton's laws of
motion, physicists could explain many phenomena in astronomy:
¥The
orbits of planets around the sun.
¥The
orbits of the moons around the planets.
¥The
tides.
¥The
existence of undiscovered planets and moons (such as Uranus, Neptune, and
Pluto).