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Newton – “The greatest alchemist of them all”

by Gale E. Christianson

In the weeks following Isaac Newton’s death, in March of 1727, Dr. Thomas Pellet, a member of the Royal Society, was contracted by Newton’s heirs to inventory the voluminous papers left behind by the great man. Nothwithstanding his respected credentials, the good doctor was in well over his head. Across sheaf after sheaf of papers, Pellet’s bold hand repeated the same unequivocal message, doubtless much to the consternation of the heirs: “Not fit to be printed.” Little did anyone realize that the three days it had taken Pellet to reach this conclusion would take scholars upwards of another three centuries to reverse.

Among the thousands of documents were Newton’s extensive writings on alchemy, which were enough to make any self-respecting natural philosopher blanch. Newton, it seemed, had been a lifelong student of the occult, hiding his dark addiction behind the public icon rightly celebrated as the most accomplished physicist and mathematician the world had ever known. Indeed, it was an assessment shared by none other than the great English economist John Maynard Keynes, who acquired some fifty-seven lots of the alchemical papers when they were auctioned off in London by Sotheby and Company, in 1936. After spending years going over these documents, Keynes cast his lot with the all but forgotten Dr. Pellett. “Newton,” Keynes wrote, “was the last of the magicians, the last of the Babylonians and Sumerians.” To him the universe was a great riddle, “a secret that could be read by applying pure thought to certain evidence, certain mystic clues which God had hid about the world to allow a sort of philosopher’s treasure hunt to the esoteric brotherhood.” Hence Newton was no “experimental natural philosopher,” but a Magus. “Interesting, but not useful,” was Keynes’s assessment of the alchemical papers, “wholly magical and wholly devoid of scientific value.”

By virtue of his discoveries on the composition and behavior of light alone, Newton must be considered one of the great experimentalists of all time. And thanks to the recent deciphering of his writings on fire and the crucible, we now know that his labors were no less diligent when it came to his attempted transmutation of metals, for he truly believed that lead could be turned into gold, that elixers could be formulated that would reverse the aging process and extend the life of a man or a woman indefinitely. Yet the fact remains that Newton failed in these endeavors. There is no Principia Chemica to stand beside the magnificent Principia Mathematica.

Still, Newton was neither attempting to get rich, for he was already that, nor was he in quest of a way to render himself immortal. Rather, he pursed the chemical arts for a very different reason, and in so doing became the greatest alchemist of them all. He had to know everything there is to know about the behavior of matter, from the smallest particle to the grandest star. Having conquered the macrocosm by setting forth his universal law of gravitation, which explains everything from how the planets go to the ebb and flow of the seas, his interests broadened to include the microcosm–the smallest worlds of invisible matter through which all things are formed, grow, decay, and eventually return to their basic elements. By studying these worlds, Newton believed that he could discover what light truly is, how forces such as gravity and magnetism act across great distances, and how the theoretical ether of his experiments triggers changes in the bodies it inhabits.

In one sense Newton was preoccupied by the very ideas that fuel current scientific debates. Black holes, those Dantean pits in the firmament formed by collapsed stars at the centers of galaxies, are fascinating partly because their explanation promises to aid in unifying the large and the small. The two major theories of twenty-first century physics are relativity, which applies to light as it streaks across the great expanses of trackless space, and quantum mechanics, which seeks to comprehend invisible worlds of micromatter. The great challenge is to forge a principle that combines both realms–the vast and the infinitesimal. As I see it, Newton was the first to attempt it; Einstein, who spent the last years of his life working almost exclusively on his unified field theory, was second. Neither was successful and both men, notwithstanding their marvelous achievements, went to their graves disappointed at failing to do so.

Gale E. Christianson is the author of Isaac Newton from Oxford’s Lives and Legacies series.

Recent Comments

  1. Joe nahhas

    Say NO to Einstein
    Kepler (demolish) Vs Einstein’s
    Areal velocity is constant: r² θ’ =h Kepler’s Law
    h = 2π a b/T; b=a√ (1-ε²); a = mean distance value; ε = eccentricity
    r² θ’= h = S² w’
    Replace r with S = r exp (ỉ wt); h = [r² Exp (2iwt)] w’
    w’ = (h/r²) exp [-2(i wt)]
    w’= (h/r²) [cosine 2(wt) – ỉ sine 2(wt)] = (h/r²) [1- 2sine² (wt) – ỉ sin 2(wt)]
    w’ = w'(x) + ỉ w'(y) ; w'(x) = (h/r²) [ 1- 2sine² (wt)]
    w'(x) – (h/r²) = – 2(h/r²)sine²(wt) = – 2(h/r²)(v/c)² v/c=sine wt
    (h/ r²)(Perihelion/Periastron)= [2πa.a√ (1-ε²)]/Ta² (1-ε) ²= [2π√ (1-ε²)]/T (1-ε) ²
    Δ w’ = [w'(x) – h/r²] = -4π {[√ (1-ε²)]/T (1-ε) ²} (v/c) ² radian per second
    Δ w’ = (- 4π /T) {[√ (1-ε²)]/ (1-ε) ²} (v/c) ² radians
    Δ w’ = (-720/T) {[√ (1-ε²)]/ (1-ε) ²} (v/c) ² degrees; Multiplication by 180/π
    Δ w’ = (-720×36526/T) {[√ (1-ε²)]/(1-ε)²} (v/c)² degrees/100 years
    Δ w” = (-720×3600/T) {[√ (1-ε²)]/ (1-ε) ²} (v/c) ² seconds of arc by 3600
    Δ w” = (-720x36526x3600/T) {[√ (1-ε²]/(1-ε)²} (v/c)² seconds of arc per century
    This Kepler’s Equation solves all the problems Einstein and all physicists could not solve
    The circumference of an ellipse: 2πa (1 – ε²/4 + 3/16(ε²)²- –.) ≈ 2πa (1-ε²/4); R =a (1-ε²/4) v=√ [G m M / (m + M) a (1-ε²/4)] ≈ √ [GM/a (1-ε²/4)]; m<<M; Solar system
    Advance of Perihelion of mercury.
    G=6.673×10^-11; M=2×10^30kg; m=.32×10^24kg
    ε = 0.206; T=88days; c = 299792.458 km/sec; a = 58.2km/sec
    Calculations yields:
    v =48.14km/sec; [√ (1- ε²)] (1-ε) ² = 1.552
    Δ w”= (-720x36526x3600/88) x (1.552) (48.14/299792)²=43.0”/century
    Conclusions: The 43″ seconds of arc of advance of perihelion of Planet Mercury (General relativity) is given by Kepler’s equation better than all of Published papers of Einstein. Kepler’s Equation can solve Einstein’s nemesis DI Her Binary stars motion and all the other dozens of stars motions posted for past 40 years on NASA website SAO/NASA as unsolved by any physics Anyone dare to prove me wrong?

  2. Alexander Nahhas

    Einstein’s Physics Dollar Store on Campus
    MIT Harvard Cal-Tech
    Sponsored by NASA
    Why Relativity theory is not Physics and why Einstein’s “thought” = 0
    Walking the walk and talking the talk taking on all space-time confusion of physics by
    MIT Harvard and Cal-Tech and all other Physics dollar stores departments
    And why LHC burned itself

    Visual Effects and the confusions of “Modern” physics

    r ——— Light sensing of moving objects ——- S
    Actual object—– Light ——— Visual object
    r – ——-cosine (wt) + i sine (wt) – S = r [cosine (wt) + i sine (wt)]
    Newton– Kepler’s time visual effects — Time dependent Newton
    Particle ————– Visual effects ——————– Wave

    Line of Sight: r cosine wt

    r ——————- r cosine (wt) line of sight light aberrations

    A moving object with velocity v will be visualized by
    light sensing through an angle (wt);w = constant and t= time
    Also, sine wt = v/c; cosine wt = √ [1-sine² (wt) = √ [1-(v/c) ²]

    A visual object moving with velocity v will be seen as S

    S = r [cosine (wt) + i sine (wt)] = r Exp [i wt]; Exp = Exponential

    S = r [√ [1-(v/c) ²] + ỉ (v/c)] = S x + i S y

    S x = Visual along the line of sight = r [√ [1-(v/c) ²]

    This Equation is special relativity length contraction formula
    And it is just the visual effects caused by light aberrations of a
    moving object along the line of sight.

    In a right angled velocity triangle A B C: Angle A = wt; angle B = 90°; Angle C = 90° -wt
    AB = hypotenuse = c; BC = opposite = v; CA= adjacent = √ [1-(v/c) ²]

  3. Alexander Nahhas

    V1143Cgyni Binary Stars Apsidal motion Puzzle solution

    The motion puzzle that Einstein MIT Harvard Cal-tech NASA and all others could not solve.

    Introduction: For 350 years Physicists Astronomers and Mathematicians missed Kepler’s time dependent equation that changed Newton’s equation into a time dependent Newton’s equation and together these two equations combine classical mechanics and quantum mechanics into one mechanics explains “relativistic” effects as the difference between time dependent measurements and time independent measurements of moving objects and solve all motion in all of Mechanics posted on Smithsonian NASA website SAO/NASA that Einstein and all 100,000 space-time “physicists” could not solve by space-time physics or any published physics.

    All there is in the Universe is objects of mass m moving in space (x, y, z) at a location
    r = r (x, y, z). The state of any object in the Universe can be expressed as the product

    S = m r; State = mass x location:

    P = d S/d t = m (d r/dt) + (dm/dt) r = Total moment
    = change of location + change of mass
    = m v + m’ r; v = velocity = d r/d t; m’ = mass change rate

    F = d P/d t = d²S/dt² = Total force
    = m(d²r/dt²) +2(dm/dt)(d r/d t) + (d²m/dt²)r
    = mγ + 2m’v +m”r; γ = acceleration; m” = mass acceleration rate

    In polar coordinates system

    r = r r(1) ;v = r’ r(1) + r θ’ θ(1) ; γ = (r” – rθ’²)r(1) + (2r’θ’ + rθ”)θ(1)
    Proof:
    r = r [cosθ î + sinθĴ] = r r (1); r (1) = cosθ î + sinθ Ĵ
    v = d r/d t = r’ r (1) + r d[r (1)]/d t = r’ r (1) + r θ'[- sinθ î + cos θĴ] = r’ r (1) + r θ’ θ (1)

    θ (1) = -sinθ î +cosθ Ĵ; r(1) = cosθî + sinθĴ

    d [θ (1)]/d t= θ’ [- cosθî – sinθĴ= – θ’ r (1)
    d [r (1)]/d t = θ’ [ -sinθ’î + cosθ]Ĵ = θ’ θ(1)

    γ = d [r’r(1) + r θ’ θ (1)] /d t = r” r(1) + r’ d[r(1)]/d t + r’ θ’ r(1) + r θ” r(1) +r θ’ d[θ(1)]/d t

    γ = (r” – rθ’²) r(1) + (2r’θ’ + r θ”) θ(1)

    F = m[(r”-rθ’²)r(1) + (2r’θ’ + rθ”)θ(1)] + 2m'[r’r(1) + rθ’θ(1)] + (m”r) r(1)

    = [d²(mr)/dt² – (mr)θ’²]r(1) + (1/mr)[d(m²r²θ’)/dt]θ(1) = [-GmM/r²]r(1)

    d²(mr)/dt² – (mr)θ’² = -GmM/r² Newton’s Gravitational Equation (1)
    d(m²r²θ’)/dt = 0 Central force law (2)

    (2) : d(m²r²θ’)/d t = 0 m²r²θ’ = [m²(θ,0)φ²(0,t)][ r²(θ,0)ψ²(0,t)][θ'(θ, t)]
    = [m²(θ,t)][r²(θ,t)][θ'(θ,t)]
    = [m²(θ,0)][r²(θ,0)][θ'(θ,0)]
    = [m²(θ,0)]h(θ,0);h(θ,0)=[r²(θ,0)][θ'(θ,0)]
    = H (0, 0) = m² (0, 0) h (0, 0)
    = m² (0, 0) r² (0, 0) θ'(0, 0)
    m = m (θ, 0) φ (0, t) = m (θ, 0) Exp [λ (m) + ì ω (m)] t; Exp = Exponential
    φ (0, t) = Exp [ λ (m) + ỉ ω (m)]t

    r = r(θ,0) ψ(0, t) = r(θ,0) Exp [λ(r) + ì ω(r)]t
    ψ(0, t) = Exp [λ(r) + ỉ ω (r)]t

    θ'(θ, t) = {H(0, 0)/[m²(θ,0) r(θ,0)]}Exp{-2{[λ(m) + λ(r)]t + ì [ω(m) + ω(r)]t}} ——I
    Kepler’s time dependent equation that Physicists Astrophysicists and Mathematicians missed for 350 years that is going to demolish Einstein’s space-jail of time

    θ'(0,t) = θ'(0,0) Exp{-2{[λ(m) + λ(r)]t + ỉ[ω(m) + ω(r)]t}}

    (1): d² (m r)/dt² – (m r) θ’² = -GmM/r² = -Gm³M/m²r²

    d² (m r)/dt² – (m r) θ’² = -Gm³ (θ, 0) φ³ (0, t) M/ (m²r²)

    Let m r =1/u

    d (m r)/d t = -u’/u² = -(1/u²)(θ’)d u/d θ = (- θ’/u²)d u/d θ = -H d u/d θ
    d²(m r)/dt² = -Hθ’d²u/dθ² = – Hu²[d²u/dθ²]

    -Hu² [d²u/dθ²] -(1/u)(Hu²)² = -Gm³(θ,0)φ³(0,t)Mu²
    [d²u/ dθ²] + u = Gm³(θ,0)φ³(0,t)M/H²

    t = 0; φ³ (0, 0) = 1
    u = Gm³(θ,0)M/H² + Acosθ =Gm(θ,0)M(θ,0)/h²(θ,0)

    mr = 1/u = 1/[Gm(θ,0)M(θ,0)/h(θ,0) + Acosθ]
    = [h²/Gm(θ,0)M(θ,0)]/{1 + [Ah²/Gm(θ,0)M(θ,0)][cosθ]}

    = [h²/Gm(θ,0)M(θ,0)]/(1 + εcosθ)
    mr = [a(1-ε²)/(1+εcosθ)]m(θ,0)

    r(θ,0) = [a(1-ε²)/(1+εcosθ)] m r = m(θ, t) r(θ, t)
    = m(θ,0)φ(0,t)r(θ,0)ψ(0,t)

    r(θ,t) = [a(1-ε²)/(1+εcosθ)]{Exp[λ(r)+ω(r)]t} Newton’s time dependent Equation ——–II

    If λ (m) ≈ 0 fixed mass and λ(r) ≈ 0 fixed orbit; then

    θ'(0,t) = θ'(0,0) Exp{-2ì[ω(m) + ω(r)]t}

    r(θ, t) = r(θ,0) r(0,t) = [a(1-ε²)/(1+εcosθ)] Exp[i ω (r)t]

    m = m(θ,0) Exp[i ω(m)t] = m(0,0) Exp [ỉ ω(m) t] ; m(0,0)

    θ'(0,t) = θ'(0, 0) Exp {-2ì[ω(m) + ω(r)]t}

    θ'(0,0)=h(0,0)/r²(0,0)=2πab/Ta²(1-ε)²

    = 2πa² [√ (1-ε²)]/T a² (1-ε) ²; θ'(0, 0) = 2π [√ (1-ε²)]/T (1-ε) ²

    θ'(0,t) = {2π[√(1-ε²)]/T(1-ε)²}Exp{-2[ω(m) + ω(r)]t

    θ'(0,t) = {2π[√(1-ε²)]/(1-ε)²}{cos 2[ω(m) + ω(r)]t – ỉ sin 2[ω(m) + ω(r)]t}

    θ'(0,t) = θ'(0,0) {1- 2sin² [ω(m) + ω(r)]t – ỉ 2isin [ω(m) + ω(r)]t cos [ω(m) + ω(r)]t}

    θ'(0,t) = θ'(0,0){1 – 2[sin ω(m)t cos ω(r)t + cos ω(m) sin ω(r) t]²}

    – 2ỉ θ'(0, 0) sin [ω (m) + ω(r)] t cos [ω (m) + ω(r)] t

    Δ θ (0, t) = Real Δ θ (0, t) + Imaginary Δ θ (0.t)

    Real Δ θ (0, t) = θ'(0, 0) {1 – 2[sin ω (m) t cos ω(r) t + cos ω (m)t sin ω(r)t]²}

    W(ob) = Real Δ θ (0, t) – θ'(0, 0) = – 2 θ'(0, 0){(v°/c)√ [1-(v*/c) ²] + (v*/c)√ [1- (v°/c) ²]}²

    v ° = spin velocity; v* = orbital velocity; v°/c = sin ω (m)t; v*/c = cos ω (r) t

    v°/c << 1; (v°/c)² ≈ 0; v*/c << 1; (v*/c)² ≈ 0

    W (ob) = – 2[2π √ (1-ε²)/T (1-ε) ²] [(v° + v*)/c] ²

    W (ob) = (- 4π /T) {[√ (1-ε²)]/ (1-ε) ²} [(v° + v*)/c] ² radians
    W (ob) = (-720/T) {[√ (1-ε²)]/ (1-ε) ²} [(v° + v*)/c] ² degrees; Multiplication by 180/π

    W° (ob) = (-720×36526/T) {[√ (1-ε²)]/ (1-ε) ²} [(v°+ v*)/c] ² degrees/100 years

    W” (ob) = (-720x26526x3600/T) {[√ (1-ε²)]/ (1-ε) ²} [(v° + v*)/c] ² seconds /100 years

    The circumference of an ellipse: 2πa (1 – ε²/4 + 3/16(ε²)²- –.) ≈ 2πa (1-ε²/4); R =a (1-ε²/4)
    v (m) = √ [GM²/ (m + M) a (1-ε²/4)] ≈ √ [GM/a (1-ε²/4)]; m<<M; Solar system
    v (M) = √ [Gm² / (m + M)a(1-ε²/4)] ≈ 0; m<<M

    Application 1: Advance of Perihelion of mercury.

    G=6.673×10^-11; M=2×10^30kg; m=.32×10^24kg; ε = 0.206; T=88days
    c = 299792.458 km/sec; a = 58.2km/sec; 1-ε²/4 = 0.989391
    ρ (m) = 0.696×10^9m; ρ(m)=2.44×10^6m; T(sun) = 25days
    v° (M) = 2km/sec ; v° = 2meters/sec
    v *= v(m) = √ [GM/a (1-ε²/4)]; v(M) = √[Gm²/(m + M)a(1-ε²)] ≈ 0
    v°(m) = 2m/sec (Mercury) v°(M)= 2km/sec(sun)
    Calculations yields: v = v* + v° =48.14km/sec (mercury); [√ (1- ε²)] (1-ε) ² = 1.552
    W” (ob) = (-720x36526x3600/T) {[√ (1-ε²)]/ (1-ε) ²} (v/c) ²
    W” (ob) = (-720x36526x3600/88) x (1.552) (48.14/299792)² = 43.0”/century

    V1143Cgyni Apsidal Motion Solution

    W° (ob) = (-720×36526/T) {[√ (1-ε²)]/ (1-ε) ²} [(v°+ v*)/c] ² degrees/100 years

    v° = -v°(m) + v°(M)
    v* = 2v(cm) + σ
    v°(m) = spin velocity of primary
    v°(M) = spin velocity of secondary
    v(cm) = [m v(m) + M v(M)]/(m + M) center of mass velocity
    σ = √ {{[v(m) – v(cm)]² + [v(M) – v(cm)]²}/2} = standard deviation
    W° = 3.36°/century as reported in many articles

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