Question

question 2 of 35
why was isaac newtons mathematical principles of natural philosophy
important to the scientific revolution?
a. its explanations of motion helped support the heliocentric theory
of copernicus and galileo.
b. its theories of human creation and evolution were in direct
contrast to church doctrine.
c. it was the first time a scientist had experimented and published
findings that contradicted the church.
d. it was printed in several different languages, which helped the
ideas spread outside of great britain.

Explanation:

• Option A: Newton's Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy (also known as Principia) provided mathematical explanations of motion (such as the laws of motion and universal gravitation). These explanations supported the heliocentric model. For example, the law of universal gravitation explained why planets orbit the Sun (as in the heliocentric model) rather than the Earth (as in the geocentric model).
• Option B: Principia is about physics (motion, gravitation etc.), not human creation and evolution. Theories of human evolution (like Darwin's) came much later.
• Option C: Scientists like Galileo had already experimented and published findings that contradicted the church (e.g., Galileo's support for heliocentrism) before Newton.
• Option D: The significance of Principia was not due to its multilingual printing. Its importance was in its scientific content (laws of motion, gravitation) that advanced the scientific revolution.

Answer:

A. Its explanations of motion helped support the heliocentric theory of Copernicus and Galileo.