The Planck constant, also known as the quantum of action, is a physical constant that plays an important role in quantum mechanics. It was first introduced by German physicist Max Planck in 1900 and is named after him. The value of the Planck constant is 6.62607015 x 10-34 m2 kg/s and it has been measured to be extremely precise with modern experiments and observations.
The importance of this number lies in how it relates to energy levels within atoms or molecules; when a particle absorbs or emits energy, its amount must be equal to an integer multiple of h (Planck’s Constant). This means that matter can only exist at certain discrete energies which explains why electrons are found orbiting around nuclei instead being spread out evenly throughout the atom – they hold specific amounts of energy determined by h!
In addition to its use in atomic physics, the Planck Constant has proven useful for calculating other values such as Avogadro’s Number (the number particles per mole) and Boltzmann’s Constant (the relation between temperature & entropy). These constants help us understand our universe on both macroscopic & microscopic scales so we have much more insight into how things work than ever before!
Without understanding these basic principles through studying Plank’s Constant there would not be many technological advances we have today from lasers to computers – all thanks due this one small but powerful mathematical equation.
