Proposition II (Book I) of Newton's \(Principia\) (Q1018493)

This is an in-depth study of Proposition II of Book I of the 1726 edition of Newton's \textit{Principia}, asking and answering a series of important questions regarding its first appearance, its content, its proof, and its overall significance for the \textit{Principia}. Proposition II of Book I is not cited at all in Book I, but plays an important role in Book III, leading to the conjecture that its appearance in Newton's work coincides with that of the material in Book III. To understand its statement, the author first presents the meaning of the notions of \textit{evanescent quantities}, \textit{motive force}, and \textit{change in motion}. An analysis of its proof finds a number of irreparable flaws, notably a non-trivial limit process that cannot be repaired in the sense of providing a proof at ``a level of rigor consistent with the more convincing arguments in the \textit{Principia}'' that Newton himself could conceivably have given.