QUANTUM PHYSICIST WHO WAS AWARDED THE NOBEL PRIZE IN 1918 FOR HIS DEVELOPMENT OF THE LAW OF RADIATION AND THE QUANTUM THEORY

“I COULD HAVE EASILY BECOME A LINGUIST OR A HISTORIAN. WHAT BROUGHT ME TO THE EXACT NATURAL SCIENCES WAS A MATHEMATICS LECTURE I ATTENDED AT THE

UNIVERSITY, WHICH I FOUND EMOTIONALLY SATISFYING AND INSPIRING” – MAX PLANCK

BY JENNY AMARAL AKA ERNA

Max Planck

Planck Family History

Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck was born in Kiel, Germany on April 23, 1858

Son of Johann Julius Wilhem Planck and second wife Emma Patzig

His great-grandfather and grandfather were both Theology professors in Göttinger – his uncle a judge

Max was the youngest of six children, two of them from his father’s first marriage

Education

Max graduated high school at an early age of 16 He was an extremely gifted musician having taken

voice lessons along with piano and organ, cello and composed songs and operas, and although he could have easily made this his career, he insteadchose to study physics.

Max chose physics, not for discovery, but simply to understand the fundamentals of physics and thus, began his studies in Munich 1874

In 1877, he studied in Berlin for a year where he became close friends with famous physicist Hermann von Helmholz, who was, in his teachings, according to Max, never quite prepared, spoke slowly, made endless miscalculations, and overall a bore to his listeners.

Max also met Gustav Kirchhoff, who somewhat opposingly to Hermholz, in his teachings, spoke in prepared lectures that were dry and monotonous.

While there, Planck also met with mathematician Karl Weierstrass. In October 1878, Planck passed his qualifying exams and in February 1879, gave his dissertation,

“Über den zweiten Hauptsatz der mechanischen Wärmetheorie” (On the second fundamental theorem of the mechanical heat theory)

June 1880, he presented his thesis, “Gleichgewichtszustände isotroper Körper in verschiedenen Temperaturen” (Equilibrium states of isotropic bodies at different temperatures

Academic Career

With the completion of his thesis, Planck became an unpaid private lecturer in Munich and later in April 1885, became an associate professor of theoretical physics at the University of Kiel while continuing his work in heat theory, and by 1892 became a full professor.

In 1907 he refused a positions in Vienna to stay in Berlin. 1909, eight of his lectures were used by the Ernest Kempton Adams Fund for Physical

Research in Theoretical Physics at Columbia University in New York City. He retired January 10, 1926 in Berlin and was succeeded by Erwin Schrödinger

"What Is Life?" ( Erwin Schrödinger): desivideonetwork.com

Sixty Symbols: Schrödinger’s Cat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCOE__N6v4o

Science of Humor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9laTS_8_QHg

Sitcom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCOE__N6v4o

Planck Family

Planck married Marie Merck in March 1887 and had four children: Karl (1888-1916), twins Emma (1889-1919) and Grete (1889-1917), and Erwin (1893-1945)

In the vicinity of Berlin where many professors of Berlin University resided, Planck became good friends with a famous theologian Adolf von Harnack. During this time, Planck’s home became place of social and cultural nature where he had frequent visitors. Those visitors included Albert Einstein - creator of the theory of relativity, and others like Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner.

After several happy years the Planck family was struck with several tragedies. In October 1909, Marie Planck died from tuberculosis In March 1911, Planck remarried to Marga von Hoesslin (1882-1948) and fathered his third son,

Herrmann. His oldest son, Karl, was killed in action in Verdun

during World War I; Erwin was taken prisioner in 1914by the French; and his two daughters both died givingbirth to their first child, Grete in 1917 and Emma in 1919.

And finally, in 1945, Erwin, his closest son was executedbythe Nazis for his failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler in July 1944.

Quantum Theory

Quantum theory is the nature of matter! The quantum theory is the work of, not only Max Planck (the originator of quantum

theory), but of Werner Heisenberg (who formulated the Uncertainty Principle also known as the principle of indeterminacy – one of the most eminent laws of quantum theory). Other brilliant physicist include Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrödinger, Wolfgang Pauli, and Max Born.

Quantum physics is the leading theory in hopes to understand how our universe was created.

Are quantum effects responsible for matter forming discrete entities, instead of spreading out evenly during the birth of the universe?

The answer to this question is still being debated today!

Max Planck & Quantum Physics 1 of 2:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ9aoE94d78

Max Planck & Quantum Physics 2 of 2:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp8WY8k6dbI

Blackbody Radiation

Blackbody radiation or “cavity radiation” is thermal radiation from a black body (an object that absorbs electromagnetic radiation)

Through his research in the observations of the radiation of heated materials, Planck discovered a constant that enabled him to define a new universal set of physical units – that energy is not continuous

He developed a formula which showed that energy is always emitted or absorbed in units, otherwise known as quanta, which further helped to develop his theory in quantum physics that led to this universal constant, now known as Planck’s Constant

Planck’s constant states that energy of each quantum is equal to the frequency of radiation multiplied by the universal constant –E=f*h, where h is 6.63 * 10E-34 Js – which revolutionized physics because it contradicted ideas about the nature of radiation and energy

Law of Radiation:

http://classes.atmos.uiuc.edu/100C/Atmos100/day05.html

Blackbody Radiation:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2Af_VMTxZY

Sixty Symbols – Planck’s constant:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz2D1aahd5A

Kaiser Wilhelm Society

The Kaiser Wilhelm Society (founded in 1911) was an important scientific institution during World War II that was devoted to different fields in scientific research for the advancement of science

Planck became president of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society in 1930 at the age of 72 until 1937 and after National Socialists came to power was confronted with difficult questions

In an effort to preserve the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, Planck had to make unavoidable compromises while still supporting his colleagues who’s lives were in danger and also managed to re-employ a number of Jewish scientists.

In 1938, Planck resigned in protest of the Nazi regime who shortly after bombed his villa in Berlin In 1945, he temporarily became president again and in 1946 was the only scientist to attend the Newton

anniversary celebrations at the Royal Society in London where he became Honorary President of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society that later became the Max Planck Society founded on February 26, 1948 - but not until after Max Planck’s death on October 4, 1947 (age 89)

Max Planck Institute

The Max Planck Institute is a an independent non-profit society devoted to research for the advancement of science.

There are currently 80 research facilities throughout Germany in the following fields of study listed below… Biology and Medicine Chemistry Physics Technology Humanities

Max Planck Institute:http://www.mpg.de/english/portal/index.html

Further Work & Publications

Works Sited

Nobelprize.org Max Planck – Biography

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1918/planck-bio.html

Max Planck Institue Mulitmedia

http://www.mpg.de/english/aboutTheSociety/history/maxPlanckBiography/index.html

Quantum Theory http://www.thebigview.com/spacetime/quantumtheory.html

Planck and Quantum of Energy http://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in/dream/june2001/article-1.htm

Max-Planck-Exhibition Family, Childhood, Youth

http://www.max-planck.mpg.de/seite03/english.html

The Kaiser Wilhelm Society under National Socialism – Cambridge University Press http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=052187906X