Origins of the Quantum Theory
The concept of quanta
- Blackbody Radiation: To get agreement with data, Planck assumed light is emitted in packets or “quanta” with energy of each quantum related to the frequency by E = h?
- Photoelectric effect: Einstein takes Planck seriously. Predicts energy of electrons liberated in photoelectric effect because the light arrives in quanta of energy E = h?
Atomic models
- How can atoms be stable?
- Completely puzzling in classical physics!
- Electrons should spiral into nucleus!
- Bohr proposed solution
- Electrons can only be in certain orbits – quantized sates
- Right idea but not fully correct