Principia: Vol. II: The System of the World

Newton's "Principia" was the crowning achievement of 17th Century Natural Philosophy, bringing together the works of great thinkers like Galileo and Johanes Kepler. This great work supplied the momentum for the Scientific Revolution and dominated physics for over 200 years. Although it was later demonstrated to have limitations at the atomic level, the principles of Newtonian physics are still applicable to much of our everyday lives. The casual reader may find this book difficult to work through, however. Newton's three laws of motion are not stated in the language that is used in modern introductory physics texts. A good companion to this book is "Feynman's Lost Lecture" in which Richard Feyman demonstrates planetary motion using the same geometric techniques employed by Isaac Newton, but in a more clear, modern style.