Newton celebrated in the latest “Google doodle”
By James Dacey
Welcome back to physicsworld.com for what will hopefully be another exciting year of research breakthroughs and technological innovations. That said, if you’re returning to work after a Christmas break of festivity and overindulgence, the first few days back can be more than a little gloomy. At least the folks at Google are doing their bit to try to lift the spirits of down-in-the-dumps physicists.
Attentive users of the popular internet search engine will have already noticed its tribute to Isaac Newton, the great English physicist who would be celebrating his 366th birthday were he still alive today. The iconic Google logo has been draped with the branch of an apple tree, which drops a fruit when you hover your cursor over it – a tribute, of course, to the incident that allegedly inspired Newton’s theory of gravitation and his Principia Mathematica first published in 1687.
Newton’s much anticipated follow-up Opticks, released to the public 17 years later, also has great resonance this year, as 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the invention of the laser. physicsworld.com will be joining the celebrations with a series of video interviews with leading laser physicists and engineers, and there will also be a laser special for the May print issue of Physics World magazine.
So whether you’re returning to the office, to the lab, or anywhere else in between, try to ride out those New Year blues, as the celebrations and exciting breakthoughs are just around the corner!
