Which physicist formulated the three laws of motion?

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Isaac Newton formulated the three laws of motion.

Newton presented his laws in Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, published in 1687. The laws describe how forces affect motion: an object maintains its state of motion unless acted on by a net force; acceleration depends on force and mass; and forces occur in equal and opposite pairs. Together, they form the foundation of classical mechanics.

Newton’s work unified terrestrial and celestial mechanics by applying mathematical principles to falling objects, projectiles, and planetary motion. His laws operate extremely well at ordinary speeds and scales, although relativity is needed for motion near the speed of light and quantum mechanics is needed for atomic and subatomic systems. Newton also made major contributions to optics, mathematics, and the development of reflecting telescopes.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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