Axiomata
Music composed, recorded, and mixed by Mike Johnson
Text set and performed by Elaine diFalco
Axiomata is the passage in Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica (1687) where he describes the three laws of motion. The elegance and simplicity of these truths is profound and worthy of contemplation for the impact they have had on humanity and our understanding of the laws of nature.
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Lyrics and Translation
Axiomata: Sive Leges Motus
Lex I
Corpus omne perseverare in statu suo quiescendi vel movendi uniformiter in directum, nisi quatenus a viribus impressis cogitur statum illum mutare.
Lex II
Mutationem motus proportionalem esse vi motrici impressæ, & fieri secundum lineam rectam qua vis illa imprimitur.
Lex III
Actioni contrariam semper & æqualem esse reactionem: sive corporum duorum actiones in se mutuo semper esse æquales & in partes contrarias dirigi.
Lex I
Every body continues in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed
Lex II
Change in motion is proportional to the motive force impressed, and it is a straight line where the force is impressed
Lex III
Action is always opposed an equal reaction: or the two bodies on each other are always equal, and in opposite directions