‘Planck’s constant is a tiny number. It is even smaller than 1. Wow!’
By the end of the 19th century, many physicists believed there really wasn’t any more to learn about the workings of nature and the properties of matter and radiation. On balance, it might have been easier for everyone if things had stayed that way. Then we could just study Newton and Maxwell and all go home, too. Here’s a picture of an apple landing on Newton’s head.
Things changed in 1900 when Max Planck proposed that the energy of electromagnetic radiation was proportional to its frequency. This is known as Planck’s constant which is a tiny number. Even smaller than one. This led Planck to conclude that the radiation had to be lumpy.
Continue reading...