- #1
Swapnil
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Recently, I have realized how much did Einstein contributed, indirectly, to the field of QM. I mean, using his two famous relations [itex]E=mc^2[/itex] (relativity) and [itex]E=hf[/itex] (photoelectric effect), we derived the relation [itex]p = \frac{h}{\lambda}[/itex]. Then, by the help of a keen insight from de Broglie, we hypothesized that matter could also behave like a wave (i.e. wave-particle duality) whose wavelength can be given by the relation [itex]\lambda = \frac{h}{p}[/itex]. This lead us (i.e. Schrodinger) to develop the concept of matter waves and wave equations that describe those matter waves. And the rest is history...
What do you guys think about this? Are Einstein's contributions to the field of QM significant? Could he have realized the implications of his relations but didn't proceed any further? Could he possibly have been the father of QM if only he had been a little more open-minded?
What do you guys think about this? Are Einstein's contributions to the field of QM significant? Could he have realized the implications of his relations but didn't proceed any further? Could he possibly have been the father of QM if only he had been a little more open-minded?
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