Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface and acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- Case Study I The origins of Newton's laws of motion and of gravity
- Case Study II Maxwell's equations
- Case Study III Mechanics and dynamics – linear and non-linear
- Case Study IV Thermodynamics and statistical physics
- Case Study V The origins of the concept of quanta
- 11 Black-body radiation up to 1895
- 12 1895–1900: Planck and the spectrum of black-body radiation
- 13 Planck's theory of black-body radiation
- 14 Einstein and the quantisation of light
- 15 The triumph of the quantum hypothesis
- Case Study VI Special relativity
- Case Study VII General relativity and cosmology
- Index
12 - 1895–1900: Planck and the spectrum of black-body radiation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface and acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- Case Study I The origins of Newton's laws of motion and of gravity
- Case Study II Maxwell's equations
- Case Study III Mechanics and dynamics – linear and non-linear
- Case Study IV Thermodynamics and statistical physics
- Case Study V The origins of the concept of quanta
- 11 Black-body radiation up to 1895
- 12 1895–1900: Planck and the spectrum of black-body radiation
- 13 Planck's theory of black-body radiation
- 14 Einstein and the quantisation of light
- 15 The triumph of the quantum hypothesis
- Case Study VI Special relativity
- Case Study VII General relativity and cosmology
- Index
Summary
Planck's early career
Max Planck was typically straightforward and honest about his early career, as can be learned from his short scientific autobiography. He studied under Helmholtz and Kirchhoff in Berlin, but in his own words
I must confess that the lectures of these men netted me no perceptible gain. It was obvious that Helmholtz never prepared his lectures properly … Kirchhoff was the very opposite … but it would sound like a memorised text, dry and monotonous.
It is reassuring to students struggling to understand physics that even the greatest of physicists are sometimes inadequate as university teachers. In my own experience, although the best physicists are very often the most inspiring lecturers, there is considerable variation in their degree of commitment to passing on the torch to the next generation. We have all had to put up with the uneven quality of the lecturers who happen to be delivering courses. In the end, however, we have to understand the material ourselves rather than be spoon-fed, and so perhaps it is not as disastrous as it might seem at first sight. Indeed, one might argue that a bad lecturer requires the student to think harder about the material, which is a good thing – let me hasten to add that this is no excuse for bad lecturing!
Planck's research interests were inspired by his reading of the works of Clausius and he set about investigating how the second law of thermodynamics could be applied to a wide variety of different physical problems, as well as elaborating as clearly as possible the basic tenets of the subject.
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- Theoretical Concepts in PhysicsAn Alternative View of Theoretical Reasoning in Physics, pp. 303 - 328Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2003
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