Here's why:
* Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation: This law, formulated by Newton, describes the force of attraction between any two objects with mass. This force is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.
* Escape Velocity Derivation: Using Newton's law of gravitation and principles of energy conservation, mathematicians and physicists could derive the formula for escape velocity. This formula calculates the minimum speed an object needs to escape the gravitational pull of a planet or other celestial body.
Therefore, while Newton didn't explicitly calculate escape velocity, his fundamental work on gravity laid the groundwork for its understanding and derivation.
