The discussion centers on the relationship between the Planck constant and classical physics, asserting that classical physics emerges when the Planck constant approaches zero. Specifically, as the Planck constant (h) tends to zero, the energy spacing (E = hv) also approaches zero, resulting in a continuous energy spectrum that negates quantization. This transition occurs at macroscopic scales, where the effects of quantum mechanics become negligible, similar to how special relativity becomes irrelevant at low speeds compared to the speed of light.
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If the Planck constant tends to zero, it's obviously just getting smaller, so how would this describe classical physics?
That's definitely one way of looking at it. More accurately, you would say delta_E = hv, and so as h->0, delta_E = dE, and you get a continuous energy spectrum that would require us to consider things like intensity of the wave which we've since largely discarded.
