[lit-ideas] Newton's Apple
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 11:51:16 EST
>>His apple is still preserved in the British museum.
Geary:
>I'd have to see it to believe it.
_www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights.aspx_
(http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights.aspx)
Well, yes. Although it's not clear to me how your _seeing_ it you'll believe
it as Newton's original apple.
Much ink has been used to debate the issue. John Wallis, Prof. of Physics at
Oxford, was the first recipient of the apple, to judge by his Diarie
(Ashmolean Museum):
"And then the aged man, for hee were allmost very
aged at the time, said, "Waite -- I shall have somewhat
to give thee". Upon his sayinge this, he proceeded to
open a frigidarium and disclosed a pomme or apple,
in perfect state."
----- The apple, however, did not remain at the Ashmolean but was received
by the Royal Society, and they bequeathed it to the nation. Notes & Queries,
5th series, writes:
"One refutation for the skeptical here is that the
Royall Society hath recently bequeathed five
apples as they are claimed to have been used
by Sir Isaac in his experiments with gravitation."
--- These five apples were catalogued as (accession code, AN1678-a,
AN1678-b, AN1678-c, AN1678-d, and AN1678-e.
The problem is that by the time Princess Alexandra (Victoria's daughter in
law) wanted to see them they had all of the donations deteriorated to some
yellowish brown dust.
Cheers,
JL
BA A
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