
Winners of the Max Planck Medal
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck (English: , German: [maks ˈplaŋk] ; 23 April 1858 – 4 October 1947) was a German theoretical physicist whose discovery of energy quanta won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918. Planck made many substantial contributions to theoretical physics, but his fame as a physicist rests primarily on his role as the originator of quantum theory and one of the founders of modern physics, which revolutionized understanding of atomic and subatomic processes.
3 episodes
Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:
Albert Einstein
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Einstein's impact on the world of physics after his 'miraculous year' in 1905 and why he went on to become so very famous after World War One.
14 September 2023
Featuring: Richard Staley, Diana Kormos Buchwald, John Heilbron
ScienceMembers of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesPhilosophy of science20th-century American male writersAmerican male non-fiction writersStateless peopleNaturalised citizens of Austria20th-century American inventors, Members of the United States National Academy of SciencesAmerican humanistsNobel laureates in PhysicsRecipients of Franklin MedalJewish German physicists, Jewish scientistsPhilosophers of mathematicsJewish agnosticsGerman agnosticsGerman Ashkenazi JewsAmerican Ashkenazi Jews, American Zionists, American agnostics, German Zionists20th-century American engineersAcademic staff of ETH ZurichJewish socialistsAnti-nationalistsEuropean democratic socialistsNaturalized citizens of the United StatesPantheistsAlbert EinsteinMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyWinners of the Max Planck MedalJewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United StatesPhilosophers of scienceGerman male non-fiction writersLise Meitner
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the only woman to have an atomic element named solely after her (Meitnerium), in recognition of her role in solving the question of nuclear fission.
08 May 2025
Featuring: Jess Wade, Frank Close, Steven Bramwell
ScienceFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesJewish women scientistsWinners of the Max Planck MedalForeign members of the Royal SocietyAustrian LutheransConverts to Lutheranism from JudaismMembers of the Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesWomen nuclear physicistsDiscoverers of chemical elementsRecipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and ArtRecipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)Paul Dirac
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Bristolian theoretical physicist, ranked alongside Einstein by his peers, who won a Nobel for his work on quantum mechanics.
5 March 2020
Featuring: Graham Farmelo, Valerie Gibson, David Berman
ScienceMembers of the Order of MeritBritish theoretical physicists, Mathematical physicistsFellows of the Royal SocietyAlumni of St John's College, CambridgeForeign associates of the National Academy of SciencesEnglish emigrants to the United StatesNobel laureates in PhysicsRecipients of the Copley MedalInstitute for Advanced Study visiting scholarsEnglish agnostics20th-century British physicists, Members of the Pontifical Academy of SciencesBritish Nobel laureatesForeign members of the USSR Academy of Sciences20th-century English mathematiciansAcademic staff of the University of GöttingenMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyWinners of the Max Planck MedalEnglish Nobel laureatesRoyal Medal winners