Who they are
Ferdinand Kurlbaum contributed thermal-radiation measurements discussed in Max Planck’s 1900 paper. His work with Heinrich Rubens formed part of the experimental setting against which the radiation law was tested. This places him on the measurement side of the quantum milestone, separate from Planck’s authorship of the theoretical calculation.
He makes visible the experimental contribution behind a familiar theoretical breakthrough.
Selected contributions
- Supplied radiation measurements, with Rubens, discussed by Planck.Source ↗
Primary records
Academic paper · 1900
On the Theory of the Energy Distribution Law of the Normal Spectrum
Planck calculates the radiation distribution by counting finite energy elements proportional to frequency. The inspected translation shows the connection to measured radiation data, including work by Rubens and Kurlbaum.
English translation of the 1900 paper; translator unidentified in the inspected reproduction.
Reading scope & citation
Reuses documented prior inspection: Selected English translation pages visually read as PDF screenshots; not a full derivation audit or original-language comparison. Reused prior inspected evidence: Selected English translation pages visually read as PDF screenshots; not a full derivation audit or original-language comparison.
In the timeline
Biography sources & portrait credit
- On the Theory of the Energy Distribution Law of the Normal Spectrum ↗Verhandlungen der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft; English reproduction hosted by Universitat de Barcelona
Portrait credit
Rudolf Dührkoop. Public domain (Commons file-specific copyright declaration). Via Wikimedia Commons.
Photograph. Cropped to 4:5, resized to 320 × 400 and converted to WebP.
Image source & identification ↗ · Public domain (Commons file-specific copyright declaration) ↗
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