The Quantum Revolution: Nature’s Response When Physicists Get Uppity
Greg Sherman, Department of Physics
In few other fields of study is the line between what is considered “classical” and
“modern” sharper than in the field of physics. The way physicists think about the
universe shifted dramatically during the first few decades of the twentieth century; a
change not only in the physical models used to describe nature, but also the philosophical
lens through which we view the world around us. For this course of study, I am seeking
to investigate the people and events that gave rise to what history calls the “Quantum
Revolution”, with a particular interest in the confusion and controversy that accompanied
the great discoveries of that time.
Physics in the nineteenth century was based in the notion of determinism – the
idea that the result of every physical process could be predicted exactly, with the relative
accuracy of calculations depending only on the limits of input parameters. Highly
successful theories of mechanics, electromagnetism, and thermodynamics were
developed under this philosophical umbrella, with experiment after experiment merely
serving to further solidify the validity of these physical theories. This success prompted
physicist Albert. A. Michelson to state in a speech at the dedication of the Ryerson
Physics Laboratory at the University of Chicago in 1894, “It seems probable that most of
the grand underlying principles have now been firmly established and that further
advances are to be sought chiefly in the rigorous application of these principles to all the
phenomena which come under our notice,” and later in Light Waves and Their Uses
(published by The University of Chicago Press in 1903), "The more important
fundamental laws and facts of physical science have all been discovered, and these are
now so firmly established that the possibility of their ever being supplanted in
consequence of new discoveries is exceedingly remote.... our future discoveries must be
looked for in the sixth place of decimals." Just a few years later, experimental and
theoretical physics began to uncover a very different picture of nature.
Beginning with physicists such as Max Plank, Ernest Rutherford, Max Born, and
Albert Einstein, and later with others such as Erwin Schrodinger, Werner Heisenberg,
and Paul Dirac, the physical determinism that had dominated the previous centuries
unraveled, to be replaced with the new ideas of quantized energy, wave-particle duality,
and the uncertainty principle. It is the people and events surrounding the development of
this new “quantum” view of nature that I wish to explore. This study with aid greatly in
the presentation of modern physics in my second semester physics courses. Historical
perspective can add an extra dimension (no pun intended) to student learning of physical
concepts through discussion of how experiments of the day were carried out and the
assumptions under which theorists of the day labored. In addition, students become
exposed to famous physicists as actual people with personalities, both brilliant and
flawed (not just physics, but physicists can also be difficult!). I intend to explore the
possibility of discussing the results of this study with honors physics students in one of
the area high schools as a means of seeding interest in physics as a field of study in
college. I would also like to propose presenting the results of this study to SAIL (Seniors
Active In Learning). Finally, pending the outcome of this study, I intend to submit a
paper to the Fall 2013 conference of the Texas Section of the American Association of
Physics Teachers. It is for these reasons that I submit this study grant proposal.
I am proposing to carry out this study during the spring semester of 2013. My
study will consist of four parts: 1) an overview of the events of the early twentieth
century that lead to the development of modern quantum theory, 2) a more narrow look at
some of the specific controversies of the time, 3) the personal stories of individual
physicists who worked on these theories, and 4) the writings of two physicists recounting
their involvement in the quantum revolution.
Weekly Study Plan:
Part 1 – Weeks 1-4:
The following will provide an overview of the events of the early twentieth century that
lead to the development of modern quantum theory.
Peacock, Kent A., The Quantum Revolution: A Historical Perspective, Greenwood Press,
2008
Jones, Sheilla, Quantum Ten: A Story of Passion, Tragedy, Ambition, and Science,
Oxford University Press, 2008
Wheaton, Bruce R., The Tiger and the Shark: Empirical Roots of Wave-Particle Dualism,
Cambridge University Press, 1983
Although the following book includes material beyond the scope of this study, the first
half of the book contains a unique look at events during the quantum revolution.
Lederman, Leon, The God Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, What is the Question?,
Dell Publishing, 1993
Part 2 – Weeks 5-7:
The following will provide a more narrow look at some of the specific controversies of
the time, specifically the conceptual conflict between Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr.
Kumar, Manjit, Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of
Reality, W. W. Norton, 2008
Lindley, David, Uncertainty: Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, and the Struggle for the Soul of
Science, Random House, 2007
Part 3 – Weeks 8-11:
The following are biographies of physicists whose main contributions to science occurred
during the quantum revolution. To avoid any clichés, I intentionally chose physicists
other than Einstein and Schrodinger.
Greenspan, Nancy Thorndike, The End of the Certain World: the Life and Science of Max
Born: the Nobel Physicist Who Ignited the Quantum Revolution, Basic Books, 2005
Reeves, Richard, A Force of Nature: The Frontier Genius of Ernest Rutherford, Atlas
Books, 2008
Farmelo, Graham, The Strangest Man: the Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom,
Basic Books, 2009
Part 4 – Weeks 12-14:
The following are books by two physicists who played major roles in the quantum
revolution, George Gamow and Werner Heisenberg, recounting their experiences during
the time of their work.
Heisenberg, Werner, Physics & Philosophy: the Revolution in Modern Science, Harper &
Row, 1958 (current edition, Prometheus Books, 1999)
Gamow, George, Thirty Years that Shook Physics: The Story of Quantum Theory,
Doubleday, 1966 (current edition, Dover, 1985)
Additional Material:
As a prequel of sorts, the following book offers an account of the development of modern
statistical mechanics, with many overlapping ideas shared with quantum mechanics.
Lindley, David, Boltzmann's Atom: the Great Debate that Launched a Revolution in
Physics, Free Press, 2001
Bibliography:
Peacock, Kent A., The Quantum Revolution: A Historical Perspective, Greenwood Press,
2008
Jones, Sheilla, Quantum Ten: A Story of Passion, Tragedy, Ambition, and Science,
Oxford University Press, 2008
Wheaton, Bruce R., The Tiger and the Shark: Empirical Roots of Wave-Particle Dualism,
Cambridge University Press, 1983
Lederman, Leon, The God Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, What is the Question?,
Dell Publishing, 1993
Kumar, Manjit, Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of
Reality, W. W. Norton, 2008
Lindley, David, Uncertainty: Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, and the Struggle for the Soul of
Science, Random House, 2007
Greenspan, Nancy Thorndike, The End of the Certain World: the Life and Science of Max
Born: the Nobel Physicist Who Ignited the Quantum Revolution, Basic Books, 2005
Reeves, Richard, A Force of Nature: The Frontier Genius of Ernest Rutherford, Atlas
Books, 2008
Farmelo, Graham, The Strangest Man: the Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom,
Basic Books, 2009
Heisenberg, Werner, Physics & Philosophy: the Revolution in Modern Science, Harper &
Row, 1958 (current edition, Prometheus Books, 1999)
Gamow, George, Thirty Years that Shook Physics: The Story of Quantum Theory,
Doubleday, 1966 (current edition, Dover, 1985)
Lindley, David, Boltzmann's Atom: the Great Debate that Launched a Revolution in
Physics, Free Press, 2001