The Foundations of Quantum Mechanics

The development of quantum mechanics traces back to key historical figures and ideas. Ancient philosophers like Democritus proposed that matter is made up of discrete atoms, a notion that evolved through the 19th century with significant contributions from scientists such as Ludwig Boltzmann, who applied atomic theory to thermodynamics. By the turn of the 20th century, the scientific community was exploring whether heat was a continuous fluid or could also come in discrete packets, leading to the birth of quantum theories. Max Planck's introduction of a constant in 1900 provided a critical turning point, suggesting that energy is quantized, thereby unlocking the door to modern quantum mechanics.