Page 27 - BBC History The Story of Science & Technology - 2017 UK

3 JOHN NAPIER’S BONES We can never know
The early calculator that made sums quick and easy whether Newton’s

Have you ever wondered how the 1617) – decided it was time to make apple really did fall,
Romans did multiplication? Even the routine arithmetical tasks easier. He
two-times table expands into invented a special type of abacus, a but its impact has
nightmarish proportions if you try to set of rotating rods each inscribed
work it out in Latin numerals. Hardly many times over with the ten basic been enormous
surprising, then, that when Hindu- digits. Soon known as Napier’s bones
Arabic numbers were imported into (expensive ones were made of bone
Europe at the beginning of the or ivory), this device made it possible
13th century, merchants and to carry out long calculations quickly
mathematicians enthusiastically and accurately. You just line up the
adopted the new system of nine digits rods and read off the answer. ISAAC NEWTON’S
plus zero that we still use. 5
Even so, when dealing APPLE
with large numbers,
it was easy to make The fruit that may or may
mistakes. Division
posed still more of a not have fallen from a tree
problem, to say nothing and inspired Newton’s
of square roots. theory of gravitation
Four centuries later,
the Laird of Merchistoun Most people know only one thing about
– better known as Isaac Newton (1642–1727): that he
Scottish mathematician watched an apple fall from a tree. Rather
John Napier (1550– like St Catherine’s wheel or St Jerome’s
lion, Newton’s apple has become an
iconic attribute of scientific genius.
The story originated with Newton
A set of John himself, who as an elderly man reminisced
Napier’s ‘bones’, about a day nearly 60 years earlier when
which made “he sat in a contemplative mood. Why
arithmetic a little should that apple always descend
less nightmarish perpendicularly to the ground, thought he
in the 17th century to him self. Why should it not go sideways
or upwards, but constantly to the earths
centre? Assuredly, the reason is, that the
earth draws it…”
For Newton and his contemporaries,
this episode resonated symbolically with
the Fall in the Garden of Eden, when Eve
persuaded Adam to bite into the forbidden
fruit from the tree of knowledge.
4 ROBERT BOYLE’S AIR PUMP the apple reappeared in
After a long absence,
The device that produced a completely the 19th century and soon
artificial state: a vacuum acquired mythological
significance. When
Oxford University built its
Britain’s most famous scientific anything valid could be learnt about
picture (see page 25), by Joseph reality from a situation that was Gothic-style museum for
Wright of Derby, shows a red-robed non-existent in nature, but the teaching science, stone
philosopher lecturing about an air experiments were convincing. statues were installed to
pump to a small family group, his Moving bells inside the evacuated inspire students. Newton
hand poised on the stop-cock that sphere could be seen but not heard, was among the first six,
will determine the life or death of a flames were extinguished and gazing down at his apple
white bird inside the glass globe. rabbits died. as though it had fallen
Developed a hundred years By the time that Wright was from heaven. We can
earlier by Robert Boyle (1627–91) painting, the air pump had become never know whether
and Robert Hooke (1635–1703), the an emblem of modern technology. that apple really did fall,
air pump was a completely new type His group portrait displays the mixed but its impact has
of instrument because it produced reactions still evoked by scientific been enormous.
an artificial state – a vacuum. By research – wonder, absorption,
turning the crank at the bottom, an terror – and also the complete lack Isaac Newton
experimenter could mechanically of interest manifested by the couple contemplates
a fallen apple in this
suck most of the air out of a glass on the left, who have eyes for statue at Oxford
GETTY globe. Critics may have denied that nobody but each other. University Museum

The Story of Science & Technology 27