The Universe in the Light of Modern Physics - Primary Source Edition

by Max Planck

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Genres: Science, Physics

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck was a German theoretical physicist who originated quantum theory, which won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.

Planck made many contributions to theoretical physics, but his fame rests primarily on his role as originator of the quantum theory. This theory revolutionized human understanding of atomic and subatomic processes, just as Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity revolutionized the understanding of space and time. Together they constitute the fundamental theories of 20th-century physics.

Reviews

[Ray LaManna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the foundational articles about the development of Quantum physics and its relationship to the Theory of Relativity. Written by Max Planck in 1929 this is a difficult read but it will give you a good idea of how 20th-century physics has developed.

[Aki Härmä · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found an English translation of Max Planck's book from an old books store. It is the new 1937 edition with an added section about "free will" which was not in the original 1931 edition. A very nice book but, at least the English translation, is quite an arduous language with a lot of rare British adjectives. The book discusses the principles of relativity and quantum physics for general audience and focuses on what it means about our understanding of the universe around us. The section about free will presents an intriguing reasoning which concludes that the question of free will is basically meaningless and the answer depends on the state of the observer. It is kind of similar question to if Schrödinger's cat has a free will in regard to its destiny or not.