i was just wondering how the ultraviolet catastrophe came up with their name.
isn't it some advanced physics principle or something. i haven't gone that
far yet in my pursuits of academia to know for certain... is their background
in phyics as well?
The ultraviolet catastrophe was a name for the mismatch between the
predicted curve for a black body radiator and the actual curve. One
theory had the curve going upwards in the UV wavelengths, whereas a
true black body radiator maxes out. The resolution to the equation
that predicted black body radiation was done by Max Planck who
modified the equation by twiddling with it mathematically until it
worked out. The resolution to the reason behind these twiddles lead to
the modern theory of quantum mechanics.
I love the name too BTW.
Regards,
Albert Boulanger
aboulanger@bbn.com