Planck's theory is the foundation of quantum physics. It is based on the physical laws of chemistry, probability theory, and the laws of thermodynamics. In particular, Planck utilized the first and second laws of thermodynamics as an irrefutable basis for his arguments. His Columbias lectures, in which he described his theory in detail, is the source for this article.

This is an article that was published in Chemical Innovation, a Journal of the American Chemical Society, February 2001 issue. This is the second of a series of articles that have been published in Chemical Innovation. This second article describes the basic methods that he employed to develop his famous radiation equation. For more information, check out the ACS web site at http://pubs.acs.org/ci or contact the author by email at adaptent.alltel.net