From chemistry-request@server.ccl.net Mon Oct 2 19:14:05 2000 Received: from ivory.trentu.ca (trentu.ca [192.75.12.103]) by server.ccl.net (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id TAA02835 for ; Mon, 2 Oct 2000 19:14:05 -0400 Received: from trentu.ca ([204.225.13.50]) by trentu.ca (PMDF V5.2-32 #29543) with ESMTP id <01JUVFBQC7Z2003SFC@trentu.ca> for chemistry@ccl.net; Mon, 2 Oct 2000 19:13:57 EDT Date: Mon, 02 Oct 2000 19:18:47 -0400 From: elewars Subject: MAX PLANCK, QUANTUM THEORY To: chemistry@ccl.net Message-id: <39D917D7.177F6EDB@trentu.ca> MIME-version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en] (WinNT; I) Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit X-Accept-Language: en Monday, 2000 Oct 2 Hello, On October 19, 1900, Max Planck discovered the quantum discontinuity of blackbody radiation and sowed the basis for the calculations we all use. QUESTIONS: (1) When was the fundamental constant first denoted _h_? And why _h_? What word does h stand for? (I think in classical physics, too, energy x time is "action", but that starts with _a_.) (2) Have there been any announcements of the big celebrations that must surely be planned for the work that marked the transition from classical to modern physics, revolutionized much of science, and laid the foundations of new industries? thanks E. Lewars ====