Physics Project 2012

Fundamental Experiments of Modern Physics

We plan to perform a number of experiments that were instrumental in convincing physicists around 1900 that quantum mechanics and relativity provided an accurate description of physical phenomena especially in atomic and nuclear physics. The analysis of black-body radiation by Max Planck led to the development of quantum mechanics, while Einstein's explanation of the photoelectric effect led to its general acceptance. Millikan's oil-drop experiment and Rutherford's scattering experiment led to the development of nuclear models of matter. The accurate measurement of the speed of light led to the development of relativity by Einstein. The measurement of muons in cosmic rays opened the way to the vast field of elementary particle physics.