# planck's constant

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plancks-constant/175317>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 15, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plancks-constant/175317 "2003-05-15T00:39:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![captainQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@captainQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/captainQwark)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plancks-constant/175317/1 "2003-05-15T00:39:11Z")

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can someone explain to me planck’s constant?

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**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plancks-constant/175317/2 "2003-05-15T00:54:52Z")

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C’mon, kid. This stuff is pretty easy to find.

[Here](http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/quantumzone/photoelectric2.html) is a good explanation, with pictures and everything. In simple terms, it’s the smallest possible amount of energy.

Haj

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plancks-constant/175317/3 "2003-05-15T01:15:21Z")

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Haj: Great site! See Planck run. I love it!

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**Author:** ![g8rguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@g8rguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/g8rguy)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plancks-constant/175317/4 "2003-05-15T01:25:04Z")

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I think calling it the smallest possible amount of energy is, well, rather unfortunate, given that the dimensions aren’t those of energy to begin with. It’s basically just the fundamental constant of quantum mechanics which tells us about important things like:

1. uncertainties (the uncertainty principle relates indeterminancy in position and momentum to Planck’s constant, for instance),  
and
2. relations between energy and frequency (as in the photoelectric effect).

There’s rather more to it than that, of course, but we’ll save that for later, shall we?

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**Author:** ![captainQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@captainQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/captainQwark)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plancks-constant/175317/5 "2003-05-15T01:26:09Z")

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the reason why I asked was that It has some connection with the Cthulhu mythos.

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**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plancks-constant/175317/6 "2003-05-15T02:13:46Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by g8rguy \*  
> \*\*I think calling it the smallest possible amount of energy is, well, rather unfortunate, given that the dimensions aren’t those of energy to begin with. \*\*

You’re correct, of course. I was trying to be simplistic and overdid it. My apologies.

Talk about unfortunate though:

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by CaptainQwark \*  
> **the reason why I asked was that It has some connection with the Cthulhu mythos.**

Haj