Definition for View source for Planck, Max

Planck, Max (1858 to 1947): Theoretical physicist, born in Kiel, Germany. He studied at Munich and Berlin, where he became professor of theoretical physics. His work on the law of thermodynamics and black body radiation led him to abandon classical Newtonian principles and introduce the quantum theory (1900), for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1918. Several research institutes now carry his name. Planck himself admitted to difficulty in appreciating the quantum theory he helped establish.