ABSTRACT
Quantum theory was not the work of one person. During a period from ca. 1900 to 1927, a collection of highly talented minds worked toward a communal understanding of the new theory and experimental results. ere were many wrong turns and not everyone who made decisive contributions fully agreed with the end result. Figure 14.1 attempts to summarize the chain of in uences in terms of ideas leading to the end products, at least as far as 1927 is concerned. Not everyone is represented here (Wolfgang Pauli, made several important contributions). I have focussed on people whose ideas will be helpful to us in understanding the nature of quantum theory. Inevitably, not everyone will agree with my choice. Figure 14.1 is only an outline at best, and the number of arrows
connecting a person to the rest of the group is not an entirely fair representation of how in uential they were, as it takes no account of the importance of the ideas involved. However, as we work our way through this outline history, you might nd it useful to refer back to the gure from time to time to check your bearings.
