NEWTON: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy [Prefaces, Definitions, Axioms, General Scholium]

Newton’s Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy was first published in 1687. Two subsequent editions with emendations were published in 1713 and 1726. In the text, Newton lays the foundations for what would be known in the future as classical mechanics – a technical term that simply indicates the study of the behavior of macroscopic bodies when acted upon by forces.