By the turn of the twentieth century, classical physics had racked up a very impressive series of accomplishments. Newton’s laws of motion could successfully predict the mechanics of all macroscopic bodies. When these laws were combined with his theory of gravity, all of celestial mechanics could be described with tremendous precision.
The principles of electricity and magnetism were equally well understood and quantified through the use of Maxwell’s very elegant set of equations. These could be used to explain the nature of light as well as its connection to temperature and heat. In addition, the principles of thermodynamics allowed physicists to understand the concepts of temperature and pressure that resulted from the atoms and molecules filling the air around us.
Finally, scientists had a clear understanding of the structure of matter. All material substances were composed from a finite set of chemical elements, which were themselves composed of unique atoms. These in turn had a logical structure that had parallels to other parts of nature, like our own solar system.
QUANTUM QUOTE
There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now; all that remains is more and more precise measurement.
—Physicist Lord Kelvin, addressing the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1900.
Despite a few details here and there, it seemed that the classical physicists had managed to explain nearly every natural phenomenon known to humans. It would therefore be difficult to fault the prevailing view that physics was essential complete. It was atop this confident background that quantum physics ambled up and knocked on the door.
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