Max Planck's awareness of the Boltzmann distribution prior to his 1900 publication is uncertain, as the distribution was formally identified by J.W. Gibbs in 1901. Planck introduced the constant 'h' with a value of 6.55 x 10^-34 J-s, which is close to the modern value of 6.626 x 10^-34 J-s. There is speculation that Planck may have invoked the Boltzmann distribution in his work, though it is unclear if he had access to it before its official publication. The discussion also distinguishes between different forms of the Boltzmann distribution, including the Boltzmann-Maxwell distribution. Overall, the relationship between Planck's work and the Boltzmann distribution remains a topic of inquiry.
