Why Was "h" Chosen for Planck's Constant?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the reasoning behind the choice of the symbol "h" for Planck's Constant, exploring historical and anecdotal explanations for its designation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Historical, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the origin of the symbol "h" for Planck's Constant, suggesting it may have been randomly selected.
  • Another participant proposes that "h" stands for "Hilfsgröße," which means auxiliary quantity in German, linking it to Planck's initial view of the constant.
  • A different viewpoint humorously suggests that "h" represents "helpless," reflecting the feelings of students learning the concepts associated with the constant.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present differing explanations for the choice of "h," with no consensus reached on which, if any, is the definitive reason.

FordPrefect
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Planck's Constant..."h"

I am wondering if anyone knows why "h" was chosen for Planck's Constant? Or did they just randomly select a letter which didn't represent a constant at the time?
Thanks.
-Ford
 
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When Planck first published his results, he thought of h as an auxiliary quantity. In German an auxiliary quantity is called Hilfsgröße, which is - at least according to some historical reports about Planck's life - the reason, why he used h, the first letter of Hilfsgröße, to represent this constant.
 


Thank you very much Cthugha!
 


The "h" was for "helpless," because he realized that's how students would feel when they were first learning about this stuff.:smile:
 

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