Planck, Max (1858-1947)
German physicist
Max Planck is best known as one of the founders of the quantum theory of physics. As a result of his research on heat radiation, Planck concluded that energy can sometimes be described as consisting of discrete units, later given the name quanta. This discovery was important because it made possible, for the first time, the use of matter-related concepts in an analysis of phenomena involving energy. Planck also made important contributions in the fields of thermodynamics, relativity, and the philosophy of science. He was awarded the 1918 Nobel Prize in physics for his discovery of the quantum effect.
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck was born in Kiel, Germany. His parents were Johann Julius Wilhelm von Planck, originally of Göttingen, and Emma Patzig, of Griefswald. Max was the couple's fourth child.
Johann von Planck was descended from a long line of lawyers, clergyman, and public servants and was himself Professor of Civil Law at the University of Kiel. Young Max began school in Kiel, but moved at the age of nine with his family to Münich. There he attended the Königliche Maximillian Gymnasium until his graduation in 1874.
Planck entered the University of Münich in 1874 with plans to major in mathematics.
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