Why Did Newton Call Calculus ‘God’s Language’? The Story Behind the Equation

Physicist Richard Feynman once told novelist Herman Wolk that "you had better learn calculus, it is the language of God," highlighting calculus as the primary tool scientists use to model nature.

In 1665‑1666, London was devastated by plague; a young Isaac Newton fled to his family farm, where he began studying mathematics and discovered a practical way to apply the emerging ideas of infinitesimal calculus, later formulating the law of universal gravitation.

Newton’s magnum opus, the Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica , concealed his calculus methods behind geometric arguments, yet his work laid the foundation for modern physics and demonstrated how differential equations model the universe.

Independently, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz developed a similar calculus, using a formal symbolic notation; the ensuing priority dispute sparked a century‑long rivalry between British and Continental mathematicians.

Newton was not the first rationalist; he was the last wizard, the final link to ancient Babylonian thought, a miracle worthy of sincere reverence.

Critics such as George Berkeley attacked the logical foundations of infinitesimals, arguing that treating quantities that are non‑zero yet become zero leads to contradictions like "0 × 1 = 0 × 2" implying "1 = 2".

Understanding instantaneous velocity and acceleration required moving beyond average rates; Galileo’s experiments with rolling balls on inclined planes revealed that distance varies with the square of time, leading to the insight that velocity changes linearly and acceleration remains constant—key concepts formalized by calculus.

Calculus now underpins countless applications: computing curve lengths, areas, volumes, extrema, centers of mass, rocket trajectories, seismic stress analysis, vehicle suspension dynamics, bacterial diffusion, wound healing, and the forces on suspension bridges, all expressed through differential equations.

Despite early logical disputes, the practical success of calculus in accurately describing physical phenomena cemented its role as an essential tool for engineers and scientists.