The scientist credited with formulating the laws of motion is Isaac Newton. His three laws, described in his work "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica," laid the foundation for classical mechanics. The first law states that an object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by an external force. The second law relates force to mass and acceleration, while the third law establishes that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Newton's work revolutionized our understanding of motion and forces.