大象传媒

The story of how Newton came up with his gravitational theory is one of the most familiar in science history. He was sitting in the orchard at Woolsthorpe, thinking deep thoughts, when an apple fell from a tree. All at once, Newton realised that the force of gravity pulling the apple down to the ground must be the same as the force that holds the Moon in orbit around the Earth. But was that really how he came up with his great idea?

(Image: A cartoon of an apple falling on Newton's head Credit: Getty Images)