Einstein's Tribute to the Quantum Pioneer: Max Planck

Alber Einstein's Homage to Max Planck

Today, we take a moment to remember two trailblazers of modern physics: Albert Einstein and Max Planck. Einstein, a German-born theoretical physicist, brought us the theory of relativity and the world-renowned equation E=mc^2. His work forever changed our understanding of the very fabric of the universe. Max Planck, also a German theoretical physicist, is celebrated as the father of quantum theory. His groundbreaking work has shaped much of our modern understanding of particle physics.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics). His work is best known for its influence on the philosophy of science. Einstein is most famous for his equation E=mc^2, which states that energy (E) equals mass (m) times the speed of light (c) squared. This equation demonstrated that energy and matter are interchangeable, setting the stage for the development of nuclear energy. Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect, a pivotal step in the evolution of quantum theory.

Max Planck (1858-1947) was a German theoretical physicist who is considered the father of quantum theory, which describes the behavior of particles at the quantum level and laid the groundwork for modern particle physics. Planck's quantum theory was a revolutionary idea at the time, and it was his discovery of energy quanta that won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918. Planck's work on quantum theory was the basis for the work of other renowned physicists, including Albert Einstein.

Here's Einstein's homage to Max from his book, "Out of my Later Years"

MAX PLANCK IN MEMORIAM

A MAN TO WHOM IT HAS been given to bless the world with a great creative idea has no need for the praise of posterity. His very achievement has already conferred a higher boon upon him.

Yet it is good—indeed, it is indispensable—that representatives of all who strive for truth and knowledge should be gathered here today from the four corners of the globe. They are here to bear witness that even in these times of ours when political passion and brute force hang like swords over the anguished and fearful heads of men, the standard of our ideal search for truth is being held aloft undimmed. This ideal, a bond forever uniting scientists of all times and in all places, was embodied with rare completeness in Max Planck. Even the Greeks had already conceived the atomistic nature of matter and the concept was raised to a high degree of probability by the scientists of the nineteenth century. But it was Planck’s law of radiation that yielded the first exact determination—independent of other assumptions—of the absolute magnitudes of atoms. More than that, he showed convincingly that in addition to the atomistic structure of matter, there is a kind of atomistic structure to energy, governed by the universal constant h, which was introduced by Planck.

This discovery became the basis of all twentieth-century research in physics and has almost entirely conditioned its development ever since. Without this discovery it would not have been possible to establish a workable theory of molecules and atoms and the energy processes that govern their transformations. Moreover, it has shattered the whole framework of classical mechanics and electrodynamics and set science a fresh task: that of finding a new conceptual basis for all physics. Despite remarkable partial gains, the problem is still far from a satisfactory solution.

In paying homage to this man the American National Academy of Sciences expresses its hope that free research, for the sake of pure knowledge, may remain unhampered and unimpaired.

The last sentence hits us hard, isn't it? Now that we are in the era of "Quantum Utility"!