Max Planck
Whence come I and whither go I? That is the great unfathomable question, the same for every one of
us. Science has no answer to it.
Summary
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck (1858 - 1947) was a German physicist. He is considered to be the founder of Quantum Mechanics, which won him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1918, and therefore one of the most important physicists of the twentieth century.
He made essential contributions to the concept of a Biocentric Culture (see Vital Unconscious and Biocentric Principle).
Ideas
- Planck's constant - Planck disliked the idea that physical quantities might be discrete and not continuous. Nevetheless, Planck's constant (h) lies at the heart of Quantum Mechanics.
- He was convinced that determinism and strict causality were essential requirements for physical science and so must be true.
- He also looked very closely at the problem of free will (determinism vs blind chance)
Planck's constant
For several decades, physicists had been trying to understand the surprising results they continued to get from heating black bodies (a surface that absorbs all frequencies of light that hits it). Scientists could not explain the results using classical physics.
In 1900, Planck discovered an equation that explained the results of these tests. The equation is E=hf, with E=energy, h=constant, f=frequency. In determining this equation, Planck came up with the constant (h), which is now known as Planck's constant.
The amazing part of Planck's discovery was that energy, which appears to be emitted in wavelengths, is actually discharged in small packets (quanta). This new theory of energy revolutionized physics and opened the way for Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
See Also
Albert Einstein: theoretical physicist who is widely regarded as the greatest scientist of the 20th century.
Arthur Stanley Eddington: an astrophysicist who wrote a number of articles explaining Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity to the English-speaking world.
David Bohm: American physicist who made significant contributions in the fields of theoretical physics, philosophy and neuropsychology.
Erwin Schroedinger: physicist who achieved fame for his contributions to Quantum Mechanics, especially the Schroedinger Equation.
James Jeans: physicist, astronomer and mathematician who made important contributions in many areas of physics, including Quantum Mechanics, the theory of Radiation and Stellar Evolution.
Paul Davies: physicist, writer and broadcaster, whose research interests are in the fields of Cosmology, Quantum Field Theory, and Astrobiology.
Werner Heisenberg: physicist and one of the founders of Quantum Mechanics, and acknowledged to be one of the most important physicists of the twentieth century.
Wolfgang Pauli: theoretical physicist noted for his work on Spin Theory, and in particular the discovery of the Pauli Exclusion Principle, which underpins the structure of matter, and (as such) the whole of chemistry.
Links
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Planck
History of Mathematics: http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Planck.html
Biography: http://www.nobel-winners.com/Physics/max_karl_ernst_ludwig_planck.html
The Information Philosopher: http://www.informationphilosopher.com/solutions/scientists/planck
Quotes: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/max_planck.html
Introduction to Quantum Mechanics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introduction_to_quantum_mechanics
Max Planck, Eight Lectures on Theoretical Physics
, Columbia University, 1909:
http://openlibrary.org/details/eightlecturesont00planuoft
Max Planck, The Origin and Development of the Quantum Theory
, 1922:
http://openlibrary.org/details/origindevelopmen00planrich
Helge Kragh, Max Planck: The Reluctant Revolutionary
, physicsworld, 2000:
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/print/373