Quantum Theory

1000 Words2 Pages

MAX PLANCK

Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, a German theoretical physicist, won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1918 at the age of sixty. Planck is often referred to as the father of Quantum Theory thanks to his revolutionary discoveries regarding light and energy and how his discoveries led to the creation and growth of the Quantum Theory. In the early 1900 ‘s Planck theorized that oscillating atoms absorb and emit energy not in a continuous fashion, but rather, in discrete packets of light that would later be known as “quanta” and eventually “photons”. Furthermore, he created an equation that could model the energy of each photon. [2][3][6][8] Planck’s work opened the doors of discovery for other physicists such as Einstein to build upon these theories and complete the quantum theory we now know and love to learn about.

E = hv

E = energy of the photon

h (planck’s constant) = 6.62606957(29) × 10-34

v (sometimes f) = frequency of light

The great physicist, Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, was born on April 23rd, 1858 in the capital city of northern Germany, Kiel to father Johann Julius Wilhelm Planck and mother Emma Patzig. Being the son of his father’s second wife, and 6th child of the family did not hold back Max whatsoever. At the age of nine, when his family moved to Munich, Planck was admitted into Maximillian Gymnasium, a renowned secondary school in Munich, where his love for physics and mathematics blossomed. When he graduated early at the age of 17, he chose to pursue his first love of physics, over music. Despite this decision, he remained an excellent recreational musician, often playing works from his favourite composers such as Schubert and Brahms. He was also an avid outdoorsman who loved hiking, taking walks a...

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