Primary Blog/The Father of Quantum Physics

The Father of Quantum Physics

Tuesday, March 07, 2023

Stay with me for just a few minutes as I narrow down my selection for the father of quantum physics. I'll name him later in this article. Oops, gender slip. Sorry Marie Curie, we are now down to 28 choices. Keep reading, I'll have this down to three in just a minute!

29 of the most famous scientist in the world, in one photo

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SOLVAY CONFERENCE, October 1927
The Most Intelligent Photo Ever Taken!

The first gathering held in 1911 was for “Radiation and the Quanta” compared to this conference theme in 1927, “Electrons and Photons”—topics of contention in the newly developed theories of quantum mechanics. It’s safe to say that was a lot of genius in one room!

Of these 29 scientists at the conference, 17 have won Nobel prizes. Nearly all would hold university chairs teaching the new theories which were changing the world. They appear to be the only ones that could explain an entirely new realm of energy, wave-particle duality, and uncertainty.

A young Albert Einstein was in attendance, as was Max Planck (spoiler alert), who discovered the energy quanta being discussed. Physicist and mathematician Henri Poincaré was also present—known for being a leader across multiple disciplines.

They were joined by Max Born, Werner Heisenberg, Niels Bohr, and Erwin Schrödinger—pioneers of the new quantum mechanics, which drew upon Planck’s quanta and other discoveries of how the universe functions on an atomic level.

Narrowing down the greats to my top three was easier than one might think. Their specializations and Nobel prizes are very specific to quantum theory.

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Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Neils Bohr

Time is relative, yes, but I'm running short for my daily allowance. Einstein is largely considered the third founder of Quantum Theory because he described light as quanta in his theory of the Photoelectric Effect, for which he won the 1921 Nobel Prize.

Niels Bohr and Max Planck, two of the founding fathers of Quantum Theory, each received a Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on quanta. Would it be irresponsible of me to name one over the other as the father of quantum physics? This is for educational fun, so I'm going to do it anyway! 

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Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck
The founding father of quantum theory.

He's a german physicist that won the 1918 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of energy quanta. While Planck made significant contributions to theoretical physics, he is most renowned for his role in creating quantum theory. This revolutionized humanity's comprehension of atomic and subatomic processes.

This was the quickest countdown I could come up with today. I hope you enjoyed it and learned a lot, I know I did. It made my day to share this with you.

Do you have more questions about the beginning of quantum?

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Hi, I Am Nathan

Founder and writer at Pantheon Space Academy

A team of four founders on a mission to stop the "science slump" in America. We unified our research, careers, and knowledge into books, speeches, classrooms, and this blog to make a positive impact on science involvement. While making the message as simple as possible for you to follow along and be included.


Please check our other posts to discover the amazing quantum world. And if you like this article, share it with your family and friends.

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