Max Planck is regarded as the Father of Quantum Mechanics, a title that truly reflects the magnitude of his contributions to the field.
The Beginning that Bridges Classical Mechanics with Quantum Mechanics
I hold great respect for the pioneers who came before, starting with James Maxwell, Rudolf Clausius, Gustaf Kirchhoff, Boltzmann, Wien, and ultimately guiding Rayleigh-Jeans with their ultraviolet catastrophe. Without the ultraviolet catastrophe, there would have been no action from Max Planck to correct it, leading to a revolutionary milestone in the history of physics.
- Planck was not fully aware that he had sparked a great revolution!
- Planck viewed energy quantization as merely a mathematical trick to resolve an issue, not something fundamental.
- It was not until 1905 that Einstein used this concept to explain the Photoelectric Effect, showing that light is indeed made up of quanta (photons)!
- This is what eventually gave birth to Quantum Mechanics, forever changing the landscape of physics.
Thus, Planck did not initially set out to discover quantum theory; he was merely attempting to fix a failing classical theory! Yet, his equation paved the way for the greatest revolution in 20th-century physics. Quite amazing, isn't it? 😮
The above writing is a small conclusion from many fascinating conclusions in the long journey of discussions with one of my friends, who has a deep understanding of quantum mechanics. Well, I finally met someone with whom I can have discussions on the same level, or even better
