At the dawn of the twentieth century, classical physics faced inexplicable failures. The ultraviolet catastrophe challenged blackbody radiation theory—classical predictions suggested infinite energy at short wavelengths, contradicting experiment. The stability of atoms defied explanation: Rutherford's model predicted electrons spiraling into nuclei within microseconds.
These anomalies demanded revolution. Max Planck's 1900 hypothesis—that energy is quantized in discrete packets E = hν—resolved blackbody radiation but initially seemed ad hoc. Einstein's 1905 explanation of the photoelectric effect as light quanta (photons) elevated quantization to fundamental principle.
- Quote paper
- Fazal Rehman (Author), 2026, Quantum Reality. Theory and Philosophy, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1718329
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