Here's how it works:
* Classical physics: According to classical physics, a blackbody should emit radiation at all frequencies, and the intensity of the radiation should increase with temperature. This would mean that as the temperature of the blackbody increases, the peak of the emitted radiation should shift towards higher frequencies (ultraviolet and beyond).
* The problem: However, experiments showed that the intensity of radiation actually peaked at a certain frequency that shifted to higher frequencies as the temperature increased. This phenomenon was known as the ultraviolet catastrophe.
* Planck's solution: Planck proposed that energy could not be emitted or absorbed in a continuous manner, but only in discrete packets called quanta. These quanta were proportional to the frequency of the radiation, with the constant of proportionality being a new fundamental constant called Planck's constant (h).
This revolutionary idea meant that:
* Energy levels are quantized: An object could only emit or absorb energy in multiples of these quanta, not in any continuous amount.
* Blackbody spectrum: This quantization of energy explained the observed blackbody radiation spectrum, including the peak frequency shifting with temperature.
Planck's idea of quantized energy laid the foundation for quantum mechanics and revolutionized our understanding of light and matter.
