Planck and Boltzmann Distribution

[lonewolf219]

Does anyone know if Max Planck knew about the Boltzmann distribution before he published his results in 1900? Also, when Planck introduced h, did he also give the value?

 

[SteamKing]

Planck's value for h was 6.55*10^-34 J-s, which is pretty close to the modern value 6.626*10^-34 J-s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planck_constant

The Boltzmann distribution was identified by J.W. Gibbs in 1901.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boltzmann_distribution

 

[lonewolf219]

Thanks, SteamKing. I think I read somewhere that Planck invoked the Boltzmann distribution... anyone have any other thoughts? Maybe it hadn't been published yet, but Planck knew about it?

 

[SteamKing]

It depends on which Boltzmann distribution you refer. The attached article in post #2 refers specifically to a Boltzmann distribution, which was derive from earlier work by B. There is also a Boltzmann-Maxwell distribution, which was derived more or less contemporaneously by B. and Clerk Maxwell.

 

[pmacias]

I can provide some information about Planck and Boltzmann distributions. Max Planck and Ludwig Boltzmann were both influential physicists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and their work laid the foundation for modern quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics.

It is not clear if Planck knew about the Boltzmann distribution before publishing his results in 1900. However, it is likely that he was familiar with Boltzmann's work, as they both studied under the same physicist, Joseph Stefan, at the University of Vienna. Additionally, Planck was in communication with Boltzmann and other physicists during the time he was developing his theory of blackbody radiation.

When Planck introduced the constant h in his theory of blackbody radiation, he did not explicitly give a numerical value for it. It was later determined to be approximately 6.626 x 10^-34 joule-seconds, and this value is now known as Planck's constant. It was not until 1905, when Albert Einstein used Planck's constant in his theory of the photoelectric effect, that its significance and value became more widely recognized.

Overall, the work of both Planck and Boltzmann has had a significant impact on our understanding of the behavior of particles at the atomic and subatomic level, and their contributions continue to be studied and built upon by scientists today.