Max Planck

Max Planck was a German scientist known for his work in physics. He was born in 1858 in the city of Kiel, which was part of Germany at the time. Physics is the study of matter, energy, and how they behave. Planck became famous for studying how energy moves and changes. His ideas helped create a new area of science called quantum theory, which explains how very small parts of nature behave.

Planck grew up in a family that valued education. He studied mathematics and physics at university. Mathematics is the study of numbers and patterns. At first, Planck worked on traditional physics ideas that were already well known. He believed strongly in clear rules and careful measurement. For many years, he taught students at German universities and wrote scientific papers. A scientific paper is a written report that explains research results.

In the late 1800s, scientists were trying to understand how objects give off light and heat. This problem involved energy, which is the ability to do work or cause change. Planck studied this problem and found that energy did not flow smoothly. Instead, he suggested that energy came in small packets. He called these packets quanta. A quantum is the smallest fixed amount of energy that can be released or absorbed.

This idea was very new and surprising. Many scientists did not accept it at first. However, experiments showed that Planck’s idea matched real results. His work helped explain why heated objects glow in certain colors. It also helped later scientists study atoms. An atom is the smallest unit of matter that keeps the properties of an element. Planck’s idea became the starting point for modern quantum physics.

In 1918, Max Planck received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of energy quanta. The Nobel Prize is an international award given for major scientific achievements. During his life, Planck lived through difficult times in Germany, including World War I and World War II. Despite these events, he continued to support science and education.

Max Planck died in 1947. His name is used today in science, such as the Planck constant, which is a number that describes the size of energy quanta. Many research centers and institutes are also named after him. His work remains important for understanding how the natural world behaves at very small scales.