Waiting for that apple to fall on your hands without reaching it? I remember one famous mathematician and physicist in history who formulated the theory of universal gravity. His name is Isaac Newton.
Arthur Ziffer is a prolific author (playwright) and mathematician who published a collection of well-known plays such as Masada Revisited and Isaac & Amanda. In 2008, his book On the Shoulders of Giants was published. Working together at the Naval Research Laboratory, Arthur Ziffer collaborated with Herbert Hauptman in writing the book. This highlights by imaginary meeting between Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz. Do you think these two authors felt that connection as well as these famous geniuses? As a both Mathematics enthusiasts, Ziffer thought of involving Hauptman on this writing project. At some point, he knew beforehand that he needs Hauptman insights writing this one-act play. It makes sense for the fact that he was known as the first mathematician to win a Nobel Prize. He pioneered and developed a mathematical method that has changed the whole field of chemistry and opened a new era in research to determine molecular structures of crystallized materials.
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of
Giants” – Isaac Newton.
The most familiar expression inspired the play’s title in English by Isaac Newton traced way back to the 17th century. Standing on the shoulders of Giants is a literary metaphor that means “Discovering the Truth by building on previous discoveries.” On the Shoulders of Giants is a one-act play with six scenes that also focuses on the last half of Newton’s adult life as a warden of the Royal Mint. The Mind’s Warden was a high-ranking position at the Royal Mint in England in the 17th century. He was responsible for various minting procedures and acted as the immediate representative of the current monarch inside the Mint. According to history, the most illustrious holder of the office of Warden of the Mint was Isaac Newton. He was warranted to this position on the recommendation of his friend, Montagu Chancellor of the Exchequer, in 1698. Learn more about the life of the famous Isaac Newton beyond the Theory of Universal Gravity by reading Arthur Ziffer and Herbert Hauptman’s On the Shoulders of Giants.
Check it out in Amazon and visit the website of Arthur Ziffer :
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