The quantum, its discovery and the continuing quest

Pasupathy, J (2000) The quantum, its discovery and the continuing quest. In: Current Science, 79 (11). pp. 1609-1614.

Preview

PDF Discovery.pdf Download (372kB)

Abstract

It was exactly one hundred years ago on 14 December 1900 that the great physicist Max Planck (1858–1947) presented to the German Physical Society his revolutionary concept of the quantum of action, using which he successfully explained the spectrum of radiation emitted by a black body. Planck was aided in this momentous discovery by, first, his insistence on empirical veracity and second, the laws of thermodynamics. This history is narrated in several places1, I shall just briefly recall the main features.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Current Science
Publisher:	Indian Academy of Sciences
Additional Information:	Copyright for this article belongs to Indian Academy of Sciences.
Department/Centre:	Division of Physical & Mathematical Sciences > Centre for Theoretical Studies (Ceased to exist at the end of 2003)
Date Deposited:	22 Sep 2004
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2010 04:16
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/1983

Actions (login required)

View Item