Rare copy of the manuscript of Isaac Newton which became the foundation of modern physics discovered on the French island

An environmentalist in France discovered a very valuable first edition copy of the pioneering text of the great physicist Isaac Newton Philosophi Naturalis Principiaone of the most important works in the history of science and mathematics.

The text whose title translates as Mathematical principles of natural philosophy of original Latin was first published in 1687 and consists of three books.

In the manuscript, the English scientist highlighted his three laws of movement, which formed the foundation of classical mechanics, a branch of physics that deals with the movement (or balance) of bodies under the influence forces.

The text of the first edition in question was found by Vannina Schirinsky-Schikhmatoff, director of conservation at the public heritage library of Fesch, located in Ajaccio on the French island of Corsica, reports AFP.

The library, which contains around 50,000 books, was founded by Lucien Bonaparte, brother of the famous statesman and military leader Napolon Bonaparte who was Emperor of France in the early 19th century.

Schirinsky-Schikhmatoff came across work often called simply "Principia"When examining an index created by Lucien Bonaparte. The conservationist noted that the text seemed surprisingly well preserved.

"I found the Holy Grail in the main room, hidden in the upper shelves," said AFP Schirinsky-Schikhmatoff. "The cover has a bit of damage but inside it is in excellent condition, it is the cornerstone of modern mathematics."

After the initial publication of the book, English translations were printed. However, Latin copies of the first edition of the Principiawhich were intended to be distributed on the European continent are very popular, since only around 400 were produced, The Guardian reported. It is believed that only about half of these still exist.

One of these copies of the first edition became the most expensive printed science book ever sold in December 2016, after an anonymous buyer paid around $ 3.7 million for it. # 39; an auction at Christie & # 39; s in New York.

the Principia helped shape the evolution of modern physics. In fact, the work was described by Albert Einstein as "perhaps the greatest intellectual step ever given to a man".

In the work, Newton describes his universal physical laws of gravitation and motion, helping to explain phenomena that have been previously described by renowned scientists such as Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler, according to Christie's.

"For the first time, a single mathematical law could explain the movement of objects on earth as well as the phenomena of the heavens", we read in a description of Christie's. "It was this grand conception that produced a general revolution in human thought, perhaps only matched by that which followed Darwin The origin of the species."

The famous three laws of movement can be described as follows, according to Stanford University:

• Each object in a uniform state of movement will remain in this state of movement unless an external force acts on it.
• The force is equal to the mass multiplied by the acceleration.
• For each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

While the advent of Einstein's theory of relativity and the rise of quantum mechanics posed a challenge to Newton's ideas, the laws described in Principia are still the key to our understanding of the universe, centuries after its publication.

However, the masterpiece may not have been published without the efforts of famous English astronomer Edmond Halley, the man whose name was Halley's comet. Halley encouraged Newton to produce a text describing his ideas and edited the work once written. The astronomer also covered most of the printing costs because the Royal Society, the oldest independent scientific academy in the world, ran out of money at the time and was no longer able to finance the project.