CHAPTER 4 THE SECOND LAW
4.4 DERIVATION OF THEMATHEMATICALSTATEMENT OF THESECONDLAW 116
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck (1858–1947)Max Planck, best known for his formulation of
the quantum theory, had a passionate interest
in thermodynamics in the early part of his ca-
reer.
He was born in Kiel, Germany, where his
father was a distinguished law professor. His
family had a long tradition of conservatism,
idealism, and excellence in scholarship.
As a youth, Planck had difficulty deciding
between music and physics as a career, finally
settling on physics. He acquired his interest in
thermodynamics from studies with Hermann
von Helmholtz and Gustav Kirchhoff and from
the writings of Rudolf Clausius. His doctoral
dissertation at the University of Munich (1879)
was on the second law.
In 1897, Planck turned his papers on ther-
modynamics into a concise introductory text-
book,Treatise on Thermodynamics. It went
through at least seven editions and has been
translated into English.a
Concerning the second law he wrote:b
Another controversy arose with relation to the
question of the analogy between the passage
of heat from a higher to a lower temperature
and the sinking of a weight from a greater to
a smaller height. I had emphasized the need
for a sharp distinction between these two pro-
cesses... However, this theory of mine was con-
tradicted by the view universally accepted in
those days, and I just could not make my fellow
physicists see it my way...
A consequence of this point of view [held by
others] was that the assumption of irreversibility
for proving the Second Law of Thermodynamicswas declared to be unessential; furthermore, the
existence of an absolute zero of temperature was
disputed, on the ground that for temperature, just
as for height, only differences can be measured.
It is one of the most painful experiences of my
entire scientific life that I have but seldom—in
fact, I might say, never—succeeded in gaining
universal recognition for a new result, the truth
of which I could demonstrate by a conclusive,
albeit only theoretical proof. This is what hap-
pened this time, too. All my sound arguments
fell on deaf ears.
Planck became an associate professor of
physics at the University of Kiel. In 1889
he succeeded Kirchhoff as Professor at Berlin
University. By the end of the following year,
at the age of 42, he had worked out his quan-
tum theory to explain the experimental facts of
blackbody radiation, a formulation that started
a revolution in physics. He was awarded the
1918 Nobel Prize in Physics “in recognition of
the services he rendered to the advancement of
Physics by his discovery of energy quanta.”
Planck was reserved and only enjoyed so-
cializing with persons of similar rank. He
was a gifted pianist with perfect pitch, and en-
joyed hiking and climbing well into his old
age. He was known for his fairness, integrity,
and moral force.
He endured many personal tragedies in his
later years. His first wife died after 22 years
of a happy marriage. His elder son was killed
in action during World War I. Both of his twin
daughters died in childbirth.
Planck openly opposed the Nazi persecu-
tion of Jews but remained in Germany dur-
ing World War II out of a sense of duty.
The war brought further tragedy: his house in
Berlin was destroyed by bombs, and his sec-
ond son was implicated in the failed 1944 at-
tempt to assassinate Hitler and was executed
by the Gestapo. Planck and his second wife
escaped the bombings by hiding in the woods
and sleeping in haystacks in the countryside.
They were rescued by American troops in
May, 1945.
aRef. [ 133 ]. bRef. [ 134 ], pages 29–30.