Magnificent Principia: Exploring Isaac Newton's Masterpiece

Isaac Newton's Principia (1687)—fully titled Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica—is widely considered the single most influential book describing the natural and mechanical basis for the physical sciences and mathematics, but how accessible is it today? Pask (matheamatics, emeritus, Univ. of New South Wales; Math for the Frightened: Facing Scary Symbols and Everything Else That Freaks You Out About Mathematics) has broken down the concepts, historical background, and key components of the Principia into one accessible volume. It serves as a rough guide to the work and succinctly explains each concept, and rationale, with references at the end of each section for those wishing to delve more deeply. Pask successfully takes the reader into Newton's thought process, pointing out areas of debate and discussion as well as weaknesses in the work and technical details (the casual reader may want to skip over those).