![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Werner Heisenberg had previously worked out a complete version of quantum mechanics using matrix mathematics, but this was not particularly popular with physicists, who at that time did not regularly use matrices. This introduced the quantum wavefunction to physics, and allowed him to correctly predict the energy states of hydrogen, giving a more rigorous basis for Bohr's model. What is known is that while he was there, he spent his free moments thinking about physics- one version of the story has him spending the days skiing, then staying up late at night doing physics- and worked out the above equation. There's a Tim Powers novel in that, somewhere. Historians aren't sure of the exact identity of the woman, because while he kept detailed notes on all his assignations, the journal covering this period has gone missing. He had been struggling with the problem for a while, and eventually took off for a vacation with one of his many mistresses. Or at least the most salacious origin story of any of the equations we've talked about.Įrwin Schrödinger (picture from Wikimedia) was a famous womanizer- after he left his native Austria to get away from the Nazis, he lost a job at Oxford because he was openly shacking up with the wife of a colleague- but he outdid himself when he was working on the equation that now bears his name. It also has probably the greatest origin story of any of the equations we've talked about. If you want to determine the quantum state of an object that's moving relatively slowly, this is the equation you would use. This is the Schrödinger equation from non-relativistic quantum mechanics. Which means it's time for the equations that are least like anything Newton did, such as today's: Newton's birthday (in the Julian calendar) is Sunday, so we're in the final days of the advent calendar. ![]()
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