Nature and Nature’s laws lay hid in night: God said, let Newton be! and all was light.
Alexander Pope
I know it is just a myth, but who cares? Dec 25, 1642, Isaac Newton was born. Not a nice person, for sure, but maybe the most brilliant genius humanity has known, it is only fair to offer an alternative to all those jingles and Santa Claus… We need new myths, let us try this one out! :)
BTW, Wikipedia had an article on Newtonmas and had it deleted. The alleged reason was irrelevance of the term. If you check google, you’ll get more than 2.5e6 hits… is that irrelevant? I have asked the editor for undeletion. Please, do also the same.
Now, for some cheering up, a Newtonmas carol… Sing it to the music of “Jingle bells” (Credit should be given to Alvin Lee.)
A comet hit the earth;
It’s made of methane ice.
It makes a giant force.
Now, isn’t that so nice?
What made it come here thus?
What made it hit the earth?
The answer’s very clear my friend.
It fills you up with mirth.
O-o-o-o-oh!
Gravity, gravity,
Keeps us on the ground.
An apple fell on Newton’s head,
What goes up must come down.
O-o-o-o-oh
Gravity, gravity,
Mass times nine point eight
Remember travel very fast
If earth you must escape.
Walk around the earth.
Keep a steady pace.
If gravity weren’t here
You’d float away in space.
Call it what you want,
Call it any name.
This force is sure a heavy weight.
Attraction is its game.
O-o-o-o-oh!
Gravity, gravity,
Keeps us on the ground.
An apple fell on Newton’s head,
What goes up must comes down.
O-o-o-o-oh
Gravity, gravity,
Mass times nine point eight
Remember travel very fast
If earth you must escape.
Also check this nice explanation about Newtonmas published in the 500th anniversary of Newton’s birth, so 132 years in our future light cone…
Physics Napkins 