In the long history of physics, Newton has always been a highly talked-about figure.
Here, the discussion isn't about the dumb questions like those on some forums asking whether "Newton in the modern age could graduate from a Tier 1 university as a postgraduate," but rather how his life trajectory was truly magical.
Many people have probably heard this saying:
Seventy percent of Newton's achievements were completed between 1665 and 1667.
This statement is not far from the truth.
In the 18 months he spent avoiding the plague, Newton seemed to be on a roll, establishing the binomial theorem, the infinite series expansion, inventing calculus, creating the reflective telescope, discovering the spectrum of sunlight, and formulating the basic principles of Newton's first and second laws and the law of gravitation.
Thus, he laid the foundation for classical physics in one fell swoop.
Excluding those 18 months of academic achievements, in his later middle age, Newton started to shift towards politics and economics—yes, politics and economics, not theology.
That's because Newton was always a devout believer, not some late-life defector.
Moreover, Newton's achievements in his later middle age weren't low either.
For example, in 1717, he enacted the connection between gold and silver coins through the Queen Anne's Law, unofficially shifting the pound currency standard from silver to gold, and he also served as the head of the national mint.
Being the head of the mint is pretty much the modern-day equivalent of being the central bank governor, a glory sufficient to honor 99% of modern people.
But Mr. Niu's activities in his earlier years were so dazzling that many promotional accounts or detractors call his mid and later years unproductive.
Alright, enough about Newton's later years, let's return to that small room.
As mentioned earlier.
In the 18 months avoiding the plague, Newton made a whole pile of achievements.
And that's why Xu Yun first needed to determine the specific time—if Newton had already developed calculus, and you dumbly went to show off to him the Fluxion Technique, it'd be a miracle if you could even get a word in.
"The end of October 1665..."
Xu Yun gently scratched his head, muttering:
"If I remember correctly, the first confirmed case of the Black Death in 1665 was in April, and the royal family fled in July...
Mr. Niu returned to the University of Cambridge in April 1667, and he stayed at his hometown for 18 months, so he must have left the University of Cambridge around July or August...
Hmm, if calculated by the most extreme timeline...
He should have been back home for about four months now?"
The London Black Death, or the plague.
This was the last widespread plague to hit John Bull's homeland, causing death to more than eighty thousand people, marking a critical and turning point in the disease history of John Bull.
Actually, this Black Death began to spread in January, with the docks on the outskirts of London and the St. Giles' District hit first, and the poor workers living in these areas became the first victims of the rampant disease.
However, because the status of workers in these areas was so low, they were almost ignored and unrecorded.
Therefore, the first officially reported case of the Great Plague of London was recorded on April 12, 1665, in a woman named Rebecca Andrews.
That's why three months after the Black Death outbreak, even the John Bull Royal Family had to flee since it was already uncontrollable.
It's like seeing a cockroach. When you spot one at home, it means that hundreds have already nested there.
And if Mr. Niu had only returned home about four months ago, then he should still be contemplating....
"Simplifying the binomial (P+PQ)^m/n problem?"
Thinking of this, Xu Yun's eyes immediately lit up.
Of course, the term "simplifying" here is Newton's own wording in submissions; the academic world currently uses "expansion."
At present, Newton should have figured out the case with exponents as positive integers but got stuck at fractions or negative numbers.
Once he completely deduces the restrictions on the exponent, the next step would be to derive the static view of infinitesimals and, using the production method of variable flow, create the Fluxion Technique — which is the basic conceptual framework of Newtonian calculus.
Later, Newton used the framework of the Fluxion Technique and combined it with Kepler's third law of planetary motion to derive the famous law of universal gravitation.
Therefore, even if Xu Yun's time judgment is slightly off, it's just a minor discrepancy, and he could adjust according to the situation at any time.
After thinking through these matters, Xu Yun felt a bit more assured.
He then sat up and prepared to get out of bed.
But as he moved to the bedside, he realized....
"My shoes... no, damn it, where are my socks??"
Looking at his bare soles, Xu Yun couldn't help but have a bunch of confused, black question marks plastered on his face—he had just been pondering the time issue, so he genuinely hadn't noticed his socks were gone.
Not long ago, or rather before he lost consciousness, he had made a simple check on his body.
He confirmed that except for his phone and watch not appearing with him, his clothing, shoes, and hairstyle completely matched his appearance back home.
Whether it was a mind reshaping or soul penetration, it was still unknown, but at least his "gear" remained largely the same as back home, without being given any additional era-specific clothes like Dabuli Dress or Husian Trousers.
Yet, unexpectedly, when he "woke up," his clothes were still relatively neat, but both his socks and shoes were missing?
Of course.
Currently, one can't rule out the possibility that the owner of the house, who had a cleanliness obsession, might have taken off his shoes and socks before moving him onto the bed.
But how likely is that...
And as Xu Yun's thoughts were wandering, he suddenly heard footsteps from outside the wooden door to the left of the room, getting closer and closer.
Clearly, the owner of the house should have noticed the sounds after Xu Yun woke up.
Tap, tap, tap—
The footsteps got closer and soon the door handle began to turn.
A moment later.
With a click, the door was pushed open from the outside, and a figure walked in.
The person possessed was a pair of clear blue eyes like cold stars shooting outwards, two eyebrows seemingly painted, dividing the brows like an eight character, with a seven-foot-tall silver sheen figure.
This person was none other than Newton, currently wearing a Great Britain Dabuli Dress, a Netherlands Amsterdam multicolored ribbon around his waist, and a pair of Anta 2021 Winter Warm Low-Boots... What the hell?
Xu Yun rubbed his eyes vigorously, and sure enough, his shoes were really worn by this youthful grandmaster. (I'm not defaming or fantasizing, Newton really had this kind of personality, it's not some creative reinterpretation...)
Xu Yun: "..."
Perhaps noticing Xu Yun's gaze, Newton said calmly:
"This place falls within the Isaac Clan's territory. According to the Buer Ordinance passed by the Parliament 14 years ago, as the legitimate eldest son of the clan, I have the right to personally collect fines from intruders.
Plus, I saved your life, so I formally inform you: your boots now belong to me—of course, this also includes your subsequent medical expenses... and short-term food costs."
Newton then glanced at him strangely and shook his head, saying:
"I don't know what you were thinking, using such good material to wear outside, just stepping on a few feces and urine would waste it."
Hearing these words, Xu Yun was once more taken aback—not because he was stunned by the fine or fabric issue Newton mentioned, but.....
Could he actually understand everything Newton was saying?
You know.
Modern English is divided into Early Modern English and Late Modern English, parted by the year 1700, with significant differences between the two.
English in 1665 was far from seamlessly integrated with later English and actually had significant differences.
Therefore, Xu Yun had initially prepared to communicate with gestures and broken phrases, yet unexpectedly, he could understand Newton entirely?
Clearly, this should be some ability granted by the gate of time and space.
As for the reason behind Newton's actions, Xu Yun quickly figured out the cause and effect....
....