What Is Quantum Mechanics? Bohr's Quantum Atom

Quantum, Episode 1

What is quantum mechanics? And why is our world a quantum one? This is the first video in a series about quantum mechanics; what it really is, and why it accurately describes our world.

In the early twentieth century, physicists were extremely puzzled by the structure of atoms. Experiments had shown that most of the mass of the atom, and all its positive charge, resided in a tiny, central nucleus. The negatively charged electrons then seemed to orbit the nucleus like planets at a large distance from the sun. The problem with this however is that a setup such as this is impossible on a purely classical picture of the atom.

To resolve the problem, Niels Bohr constructed a model of the atom that incorporated some new ideas, such as quantisation, that were being used in other areas of physics. The model of the atom Bohr proposed brilliantly lit the way for a solution to the atomic problem, and was one of the first steps towards a full quantum theory of the microscopic world.

Bohr's atomic model conveys both the need for quantum mechanics, and some of the central ideas behind quantum theory, so it is a good place for an account of quantum mechanics to begin.

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