What was contribution of Max Born to Physics?

Max Born (1882 1970) was a physicist and mathematician who won the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physics for his research in the area of quantum mechanics, solid-state physics and optics.

Max was born in Breslau (now in Poland). His first research paper was published in 1912 on lattice vibrations. It was inspired by Einstein ‘s theory of specific heats (1907), in which he ‘quantized’ the vibrations of an atom in a solid. He presided the Gottingen school of theoretical physics from 1925 when a brilliant group there suddenly saw its way to formulate a set of laws for the behaviour of inanimate matter which has served us well up to the present time. This set of laws, which from the very beginning was called quantum mechanics and for part of which Born was awarded the Nobel prize much later, in 1954, is what he will be remembered for and what he would probably have wanted to be remembered for. He died in 1970 at the age of 87.


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