- 1858-1947. German theoretical physicist.
- Introduced the quantum hypothesis (1900): energy is emitted and absorbed in discrete quanta, E = h * v.
- Defined the Planck constant h, the fundamental scale of quantum mechanics.
- Solved the black-body radiation problem, which classical physics could not explain (the ultraviolet catastrophe).
- His quantum hypothesis launched quantum mechanics, the most successful physical theory ever constructed.
- Planck units (Planck length, Planck time, Planck energy) define the natural scale where quantum mechanics and gravity meet.
- His revolution demonstrated that nature is fundamentally discrete at the smallest scales, a principle echoed in digital computation and tokenized systems like cyber.