From: andrew.nipperess@f605.n712.z3.fido.zeta.org.au (Andrew Nipperess)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.tech
Subject: Newton
Organization: Fidonet. Gate admin is fido@socs.uts.edu.au
Date: 29 Dec 92 22:32:02 GMT

Original to: Mapmh@Gdr.Bath.Ac.Uk
Excuse me if this reply seems to be coming out of a time warp, but I'm WAY
behind (about a month) on the Trek conferences, and it will prolly take a 
week or two for this msg to reach Bath.

-On the day of 11-27-92  18:42, M Hagger spoke unto All, and he did sayeth-

 Ma> mapmh@gdr.bath.ac.uk (M Hagger), via Kralizec 3:713/602

 Ma> In the referenced article, 
 Ma> andrew.nipperess@f605.n712.z3.fido.zeta.org.au (Andrew 
 Ma> Nipperess) writes:
 > *other stuff cut*
 > Newton discovered the inverse square law for spheres, as well as the "all

 > mass concentrated at centre" approximation.

 Ma> In fact it is believed (I recently heard a discussion on this) that
 Ma> this result may be attributable to Hooke, it would appear that Hooke
 Ma> suggested to Newton something along these lines, asking him if perhaps
 Ma> he could  consider it.  Newton then decided it was all his own work,
 Ma> and refused to acknowledge Hooke's contribution.  Hooke, unfortunataly
 Ma> for him, died first, and so Newton was able, from a position of power,
 Ma> to destroy all of Hooke's work including a portrait of Hooke that was
 Ma> made for the Royal Society. 
 Ma> Newton - what a nice guy huh?

 Ma> Mark

 Ma> -!- *IXgate.
 Ma>  ! Origin: School of Mathematics, University of Bath,  (via IXgate
 Ma> 3:713/602)

Yeah, Newton, a REALLL nice guy. I just finished a History of Science course

at Sydney Uni, and Newton was a major topic. Apart from being a misogynist  
(he had a purser who would keep any women from getting closer than 10 feet),

our friend Newton was also a bit of a sadist (before the term had been
coined).
As Master of the Royal Mint, he used to enjoy overseeing the torture of 
suspected counterfeiters in the Mint's dungeon.

On the subject of Hooke, he and Newton were longtime intellectual enemies.
In discussion about gravity, Hooke sent a correspondence to Newton 
postulating an inverse-square relation, but (as memory serves) Newton didn't
pay much attention to it. Then, 17 years later, Newton came up with his 
version of gravity- with the inverse square law. However, Newton did make a 
large contribution himself, and probably came to the law by an independent
route. 

On the other hand, Hooke was no Samaritan. Apparently a lot of his work is
plagiarized from his assistant Robert Boyle. Being a lord, Hooke just put
his
name to the work that Boyle had done without danger of repercussions from 
Boyle. I think some of the laws that bear Hooke's name today were the fruits
of plagiarism. However, Hooke was still a scientist in his own right, and
did
do some legitimate work- just not as much as it seems.

Newton withheld publishing his work on Optics because Hooke had differing 
opinions. It wasn't until Hooke died that he found the gumption to publish.
Being a rather meek man, Newton almost didn't publish _Principia
Mathematica_
either except for a lot of support and coaxing from Edmund Halley.

Anyway, I could go on and on (and probably have), so I'll stop this History 
lesson here and throw in an OOTC-

I saw _The Enemy_ last week, and was impressed by the fact that Geordi's
Visor
could detect a neutrino ray from off-beam. Considering that neutrinos react
with VERY little matter, and reflection is right out of the question, it
would
be physically impossible even if his Visor could detect neutrinos directly.

Oh well, I should stop my griping and mark it down as a YATI.



                                Nipper



... I don't know about you, Miss Kitty, but I feel so much yummier.
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.10

--- Maximus 2.01wb
 * Origin: THE WHITE LODGE (3:712/605)