Re: Father of Quantum Theory

Posted by James on July 16, 2003 at 19:13:48:

In Reply to: Father of Quantum Theory posted by mathman on July 16, 2003 at 13:48:29:

From this ancient physics text I have [Physics, Samuel A. Marantz]:

Author of text:
"This dual outlook on matter and radiation [energy of a ponderable body cannot be subdivided into arbitrarily many or arbitrarily small parts.....while the energy of a beam of light from a point source is continuously spread over an ever-increasing volume..] Einstein proposed to unify by adopting a quantized photon theory of electromagnetic radiation:"

Einstein:
"It seems to me that the observations associated with black body radiation, flourescence, the production of cathode rays by ultrviolet light, and other related phenomena connected with the emission and transformation of light are more readily understood if one assumes that the energy of light is discontinuously distributed in space. In accordance with the assumption to be considered here, the energy of a light ray spreading out from a point source is not continuously distributed over an increasing space, but consists of a finite number of energy quanta which are localized in space, which move without dividing, and which can only be produced and absorbed as complete units."

Text author:
"The unit of radiant energy was eventually called the photon."

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