Max Planck

About Max Planck

Max Planck, a towering figure in 20th-century physics, is historically ranked #384 in global influence by the Pantheon project due to his foundational work in quantum theory. As the originator of the quantum hypothesis, his 1900 paper fundamentally altered physics by proposing that energy is radiated in discrete units, or 'quanta.' This revolutionary concept ultimately earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918 and established the bedrock for modern physics, alongside the work of contemporaries like Albert Einstein.

In terms of modern internet attention, Planck garners 477K annualized Wikipedia views in 2025, placing his Attention Gap at approximately 1x, suggesting his online interest generally aligns with his immense historical standing. This contrasts sharply with other physicists of his era; for instance, Werner Heisenberg, ranked lower at #606 importance, nonetheless captures nearly double the attention with 986K views. While Planck is seeing a modest Year-over-Year interest increase of +9.4%, his recent attention momentum dropped by -6% between Q1 and Q3 of 2025, indicating a slight cooling from peak curiosity.

Planck’s impact is best contextualized alongside the architects of modern physics. His groundbreaking work on energy quanta laid the groundwork for much of the physics explored by later figures, including those whose theories are often discussed in relation to {Isaac Newton's laws|/learn/isaac-newtons-laws-of-motion-for-kids}.