Most people in the United States, Christian or not, recognize December 25th as Christmas Day. For some, this day commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ; for others, it is a family celebration and an excuse to give gifts and party during the darkest time of the year. Masu. And for many, it's all of the above. But for former Laramie math teacher Patrick Ivers, Dec. 25 is a day to remember the discovery of calculus. Wyoming Public Radio's Jeff Victor asked Ivers about his unconventional holiday traditions.
Jeff Victor: Do you know what is called Newton's mass? Can you tell me about it? What is Newton's Mass?
Patrick Ivers: Sir Isaac Newton was born on December 25, 1642. So, even though I'm not a Christian, at least not anymore, I celebrate the so-called Newtonian Mass. And his wife and I eat apple pie. And I send a Happy Newton Mass greeting to all my friends and family, celebrating the life of Sir Isaac Newton and its interesting connection to the holiday season.
Joint venturer: So, do you also do Christmas-related stuff, or is it strictly a Newtonian mass?
PI: Christmas rules the season here, so it's impossible not to do something on Christmas. Her wife has a tree on the wall with ornaments she bought from Venezuela. So I think it's kind of Christmas. But I will be the one to debunk the mistakes. I call it “Classmas”.
Joint venturer: How long have you been doing this?
PI: About 20 years.I wrote an article about it denver post They published it at the time.And I thought it was unique to me, I had never come across it [before]. And I discovered that maybe 15 years ago, there was a group in New York City and they had a small production. new york times. So, while there are a few others like me, I've never personally come across anyone who celebrates the way I do. But when people say “Merry Christmas!'' to me, I say “Congratulations on Newton's Mass!''
Joint venturer: Were you actively looking for a secular alternative, or did you come across it by chance?
PI: I found it by chance. I happened to be reading something and realized, “Oh…December 25th…I didn't realize that.”So now I have something to celebrate, that's for sure [about] People born on December 25th. This is because, if we follow the Bible, there is no way that Jesus was born in late December. We have shepherds with flocks, but they do not have flocks in the cold months of December.
Joint venturer: So, please tell me a little more about Isaac Newton. Why should we focus more on Newton than on the Nativity?
PI: Isaac Newton, and I must also include Gottfried Leibniz, invented calculus. Therefore, without Sir Isaac Newton, calculus would not exist today, at least not at the moment we knew it.
He came up with it during the plague epidemic. I think he was in Cambridge, but he had to leave and go back to his mother's house. Then he came up with calculus and devised the formula for gravity, F=ma. [Newton’s second law of motion], then he also did a lot of research on optics. In effect, the birth of Isaac his Lord Newton was the birth of the scientific revolution.
Joint venturer: I think that's all I can do for you. What else should I know about Newton's Mass?
PI: This is not about Newton's Mass, but there is another thing that I put into the greeting. Sir Isaac Newton was also born on December 25, 1642. And he said he stood on the shoulders of giants. And 50 weeks before his birth, on January 8, 1642, Galileo, one of the greats, died. From there, he moves forward 300 years to the birth of Stephen Hawking on January 8, 1942. Then 76 years later, he died on Pi Day, March 14th. Coincidentally, this day also happened to be Einstein's birthday. It's an incredible series of coincidences.
Joint venturer: How did you come up with all these numbers?
PI: It just happened. In other words, I knew that Einstein's birthday and Pi Day were the same. And it was on March 14th that Stephen Hawking passed away. Was that three years ago or his four years ago?
Joint venturer: Well, thank you for teaching me so much about Newton's mass today.
PI: And anyone who wants to celebrate Newton's Mass, it is a secular holiday and does not have to be religious. Even if you are, you can still celebrate his birthday because it actually happened.
(A new york times Opinion columnists wrote about Newton's birthday in 2008 as an alternative to Christmas. Her column ends with an original alternative to the “12 Days of Christmas Song.” )
