The Discoverer and What "Iffer"
Discoverer
In April 1885 Planck was appointed as the associate professor of theoretical physics in University of Kiel. Upon arriving at the University of Berlin in 1899, Max Planck became a professor. Over the years when Planck researched, he thought back to a problem raised by his old teacher on thermodynamics. A “black body”, is something that absorbs all frequencies of light. The problem was: when its heated it should then radiate all frequencies of light equally. But it is stated that distribution of energy radiated in “real life” never matched up with the predictions of physics. Since this was a major problem many physicists tried creating equations but none of them solved the dilemma.
Since, Max Planck had an open mind and was interested so too did he try and figure it out. He changed a simple assumption that energy, instead of it being continuous, it comes in distinct particles. Planck’s theory was then called “quanta.” Even though it sounded strange applying the “quanta theory” to the problem of heated bodies it solved previous problems. As a result, Planck found that the energy radiated from a heated body is exactly proportional to the wavelength of its radiation. In other words, a black body would not radiate all frequencies equally. As temperature goes up, energy increases and it's more likely that quanta with higher energy will be radiated. As an object heats up, the light given off is orange, then yellow, and eventually bluish. The wavelength emitted is a function of the energy times a constant (h), which is now known as Planck's constant. Even though Planck's idea was not immediately believed by most physicists, it is now the most fundamental constants in the universe. The use of quanta is so useful that even Albert Einstein used this theory to accurately describe the photoelectric effect in 1905. Also, in 1913 Niels Bohr used quanta theory in his revision of a model of the atom. In conclusion, Max Planck received a Nobel Prize for this theory in 1918
What "Iffer"
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, an absolutely brilliant German physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in the year 1918 for his work involving subatomic particles, is considered to be the individual most responsible for the development of the field of Quantum Physics. As Planck shared his discoveries and theories on these crucial microscopic particles with the , he ushered in a new era of scientific thinking. His research inspired many other scientists, and his findings still provides the basic groundwork built upon by many of today's foremost scientists studying Nanotechnology, Quantom Computing and more.
In the year 1905, Albert Einstein used Planck's Quantum Theory to develop his concept of photoelectric effect of energy. The way the world thinks about molecules and atoms is largely due to the foundation laid by Planck and those he inspired. His research on Quantom Physics led to a new understanding of how the world works , knowledge that later helped other scientists to create previously unimagined wonders such as atomic bombs, new energy sources, and even technology used in computers! Without the knowledge the world gained from his research we would likely not have transistors, x-ray machines, modern energy harvesters which rely on quantum interference, atomic clocks used by the United States Naval Observatory (USNO), lasers which are used in so many fields (including medicine , manufacturing etc.) to create nearly everything from CD players to missile destroying defense systems to computers, the most precise thermometers which rely on quantum tunneling, and even modern day forms of communication such as texting and emailing which rely on quantum entanglement. It is a challenge to try and conjure up images of just how many facets of our every day routine would be so drastically different - and so reminiscent of the way our great-grandparents lived.
We would not be able to go to an Emergency Room and get an x-ray to see how badly we may have injured a bone. People would be walking around in pain with broken limbs and more complicated fractures might not be properly repaired, potentially resulting in a life of disfigurement and dysfunction. PET scans and CAT scans would also be unavailable and along with their absence is the ability to detect many illnesses in early stages when treatment is most likely to be effective. How many people with serious head trauma have had their lives saved becasue we know have the ability to see life threatening blood clots in time to remove them!
In addition to the medical advances which owe their existence to creative use of theoretical physics, the age of information is also dependent on the principles which Planck elucidated over a century ago. Solid state electronics are a direct outgrowth of quantum mechanics and the invention and continuous improvement of transistors (and now semiconductors) led directly to the invention of the computer and to the creation of the Wortld Wide Web. Without Planck's original insight, we would not have the awesome ability to be connected to people around the world 24/7 that we take so for granted. (But maybe our bonds with those around us would be stronger.)Without transistors and lasers we would not have enjoy the opportunity to network and research online. People would have to go to the Library and read a book or look up articles on microfilm in order to find the information they seek. People would have to communicate more definitively with each other and be sure to have solid plans, because cell phones would not be in everyone’s back pocket to coordinate locations and facilitate last-minute changes. People's friendships would be relegated to those within traveling distance or have to remain limited to the time-delayed exchange of letters and, in a world without Skype, only those folks fortunate to be able to travel would have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. It would certainly be a much narrower world had Planck not realized what was really going on right under all of our noses all along.
Resources:
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1918/planck-bio.html
http://www.rssd.esa.int/index.php?page=mplanck&project=planck
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/462888/Max-Planckhttp://www.crystalinks.com/planck.html
Following Contributed to Completing this project:
Esther Aiello, Stephanie Albert, Jon Arenson, and Nick Bishop
Discoverer
In April 1885 Planck was appointed as the associate professor of theoretical physics in University of Kiel. Upon arriving at the University of Berlin in 1899, Max Planck became a professor. Over the years when Planck researched, he thought back to a problem raised by his old teacher on thermodynamics. A “black body”, is something that absorbs all frequencies of light. The problem was: when its heated it should then radiate all frequencies of light equally. But it is stated that distribution of energy radiated in “real life” never matched up with the predictions of physics. Since this was a major problem many physicists tried creating equations but none of them solved the dilemma.
Since, Max Planck had an open mind and was interested so too did he try and figure it out. He changed a simple assumption that energy, instead of it being continuous, it comes in distinct particles. Planck’s theory was then called “quanta.” Even though it sounded strange applying the “quanta theory” to the problem of heated bodies it solved previous problems. As a result, Planck found that the energy radiated from a heated body is exactly proportional to the wavelength of its radiation. In other words, a black body would not radiate all frequencies equally. As temperature goes up, energy increases and it's more likely that quanta with higher energy will be radiated. As an object heats up, the light given off is orange, then yellow, and eventually bluish. The wavelength emitted is a function of the energy times a constant (h), which is now known as Planck's constant. Even though Planck's idea was not immediately believed by most physicists, it is now the most fundamental constants in the universe. The use of quanta is so useful that even Albert Einstein used this theory to accurately describe the photoelectric effect in 1905. Also, in 1913 Niels Bohr used quanta theory in his revision of a model of the atom. In conclusion, Max Planck received a Nobel Prize for this theory in 1918
What "Iffer"
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, an absolutely brilliant German physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in the year 1918 for his work involving subatomic particles, is considered to be the individual most responsible for the development of the field of Quantum Physics. As Planck shared his discoveries and theories on these crucial microscopic particles with the , he ushered in a new era of scientific thinking. His research inspired many other scientists, and his findings still provides the basic groundwork built upon by many of today's foremost scientists studying Nanotechnology, Quantom Computing and more.
In the year 1905, Albert Einstein used Planck's Quantum Theory to develop his concept of photoelectric effect of energy. The way the world thinks about molecules and atoms is largely due to the foundation laid by Planck and those he inspired. His research on Quantom Physics led to a new understanding of how the world works , knowledge that later helped other scientists to create previously unimagined wonders such as atomic bombs, new energy sources, and even technology used in computers! Without the knowledge the world gained from his research we would likely not have transistors, x-ray machines, modern energy harvesters which rely on quantum interference, atomic clocks used by the United States Naval Observatory (USNO), lasers which are used in so many fields (including medicine , manufacturing etc.) to create nearly everything from CD players to missile destroying defense systems to computers, the most precise thermometers which rely on quantum tunneling, and even modern day forms of communication such as texting and emailing which rely on quantum entanglement. It is a challenge to try and conjure up images of just how many facets of our every day routine would be so drastically different - and so reminiscent of the way our great-grandparents lived.
We would not be able to go to an Emergency Room and get an x-ray to see how badly we may have injured a bone. People would be walking around in pain with broken limbs and more complicated fractures might not be properly repaired, potentially resulting in a life of disfigurement and dysfunction. PET scans and CAT scans would also be unavailable and along with their absence is the ability to detect many illnesses in early stages when treatment is most likely to be effective. How many people with serious head trauma have had their lives saved becasue we know have the ability to see life threatening blood clots in time to remove them!
In addition to the medical advances which owe their existence to creative use of theoretical physics, the age of information is also dependent on the principles which Planck elucidated over a century ago. Solid state electronics are a direct outgrowth of quantum mechanics and the invention and continuous improvement of transistors (and now semiconductors) led directly to the invention of the computer and to the creation of the Wortld Wide Web. Without Planck's original insight, we would not have the awesome ability to be connected to people around the world 24/7 that we take so for granted. (But maybe our bonds with those around us would be stronger.)Without transistors and lasers we would not have enjoy the opportunity to network and research online. People would have to go to the Library and read a book or look up articles on microfilm in order to find the information they seek. People would have to communicate more definitively with each other and be sure to have solid plans, because cell phones would not be in everyone’s back pocket to coordinate locations and facilitate last-minute changes. People's friendships would be relegated to those within traveling distance or have to remain limited to the time-delayed exchange of letters and, in a world without Skype, only those folks fortunate to be able to travel would have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. It would certainly be a much narrower world had Planck not realized what was really going on right under all of our noses all along.
Resources:
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1918/planck-bio.html
http://www.rssd.esa.int/index.php?page=mplanck&project=planck
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/462888/Max-Planckhttp://www.crystalinks.com/planck.html
Following Contributed to Completing this project:
Esther Aiello, Stephanie Albert, Jon Arenson, and Nick Bishop