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An excerpt from Lecture #6:
This result stands in noteworthy agreement with the results of the latest direct measurements of the electric elementary quantum made by E. Rutherford and H. Geiger, and E. Regener.—
Even if the radiation formula (54) here derived had shown itself as valid with respect to all previous tests, the theory would still require an extension as regards a certain point; for in it the physical meaning of the universal constant h remains quite unexplained. All previous attempts to derive a radiation formula upon the basis of the known laws of electron theory, among which the theory of J. H. Jeans is to be considered as the most general and exact, have led to the conclusion that h is infinitely small, so that, therefore, the radiation formula of Rayleigh possesses general validity, but, in my opinion, there can be no doubt that this formula loses its validity for short waves, and that the pains which Jeans has taken to place the blame for the contradiction between theory and experiment upon the latter are unwarranted.
Consequently, there remains only the one conclusion, that previous electron theories suffer from an essential incompleteness which demands a modification, but how deeply this modification should go into the structure of the theory is a question upon which views are still widely divergent. J. J. Thompson inclines to the most radical view, as do J. Larmor, A. Einstein, and with him I. Stark, who even believe that the propagation of electromagnetic waves in a pure vacuum does not occur precisely in accordance with the Maxwellian field equations, but in definite energy quanta hv.
I am of the opinion, on the other hand, that at present it is not necessary to proceed in so revolutionary a manner, and that one may come successfully through by seeking the significance of the energy quantum hv solely in the mutual actions with which the resonators influence one another. A definite decision with regard to these important questions can only be brought about as a result of further experience.
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Overview
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An excerpt from Lecture #6:
This result stands in...