When it comes to Newton, everyone knows it. The famous British physicist not only described gravity and the three laws of motion, but also provided theoretical support for the theory of the sun center and promoted the scientific revolution. In mathematics, he invented calculus; Economically, he put forward the "gold standard"; In heat, he defined the law of cooling. Therefore, Newton is also known as an encyclopedia-style genius.

Newton once famously said: "If I see farther than others, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants." This famous saying has been a classic discourse for teachers to educate students for hundreds of years. Teachers' explanations to students have always been Newton's modesty. But is this really the case? Actually, it is not. Newton wrote this sentence in order to ridicule a person, and this person is the British scientist Hooke.

Hook is older than Newton, and before Newton became famous, Hook was already famous for a while. In 1679, Hooke wrote a letter to Newton, in which he emphasized that "the movement of celestial bodies is the result of central pulling force, and gravity should be inversely proportional to the square of distance." According to this inference, the orbit of the projectile on the surface of the earth should be elliptical. If the earth can penetrate, the object will return to its original place. " At that time, Newton put forward the view that "the trajectory of an object is a spiral line, which will eventually go around the center of the earth". After receiving a letter from Hooke, Newton acquiesced in his viewpoint, and mathematically derived the law of gravity on the basis of J Kepler's third law on planetary motion, but did not reply to Hooke.

in p>1686, Newton sent the manuscript of the first volume of Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, which contained the law of universal gravitation, to the Royal Society, and it received great response. Hook wanted Newton to mention his "merit", but Newton refused mercilessly. Later, Hooke took Newton to court, saying that Newton plagiarized his works. Newton wrote a letter back to Hook, including one sentence: "If I see farther than others, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants."

On the one hand, Newton's research achievements are really based on the scientific research achievements of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and other ancestors. There is no problem in saying this. On the other hand, Newton thought that Hooke had made no achievements in science, which was actually a mockery of him. The irony is that Hook is short and can't see farther than Newton.