Cambridge: Newton's legacy

Abstract

Before the death of Isaac Newton (in 1727), the colleges of Cambridge had begun to teach their undergraduates, besides moral philosophy, both natural and mathematical science. Their studies were judged by a University examination soon known as the ‘Tripos’, in which the students were listed in order of merit. By mid–century, knowledge of geometry, of Opticks, and of at least the earlier sections of the Principia, was required to gain a high place. The genius of Newton was firmly impressed upon Cambridge, the ‘mathematical university’.