Dating
The start of Quaestiones is definitely after July 8, 1661, the date on which Newton arrived in Trinity College. It is also definitely before December 9, 1664, on which day (and the following) he made notes of his observations of a comet. Other datings of the first entries are based on his handwriting— which changed drastically between the early notes of 1661 and later notes which can be dated independently to 1665. The transitional handwriting which characterizes the early parts of Quaestiones can only be independently dated to roughly 1664. It is interesting that this was written during a period when Newton was actively developing the notion of calculus, but mathematics made no real appearance in this notebook.
Read more about this topic: Quaestiones Quaedam Philosophicae
Famous quotes containing the word dating:
“We go on dating from Cold Fridays and Great Snows; but a little colder Friday, or greater snow would put a period to man’s existence on the globe.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)