According to quantum mechanics, the energy of the particles at the macroscopic or microscopic level exists at discrete levels instead of taking a continuum of values. This means that systems such as atoms and molecules can only possess specific energy levels, which are determined by their quantum states. Einstein (1905) successfully resolved this paradox by employing planck’s idea of quantization of energy and proposed that the incident light consisted of individual quanta, called photons, that interacted with the electrons in the metal like discrete particles, rather than as continuous waves.
Energy is quantized in some systems, meaning that the system can have only certain energies and not a continuum of energies, unlike the classical case. In 1900 max planck published the revolutionary idea that the energy of an oscillator is discontinuous and that any change in its energy content can occur only by means of a jump between two distinct energy states. The idea was later extended to cover many other forms of the energy of matter.
Max planck was the first to postulate that energy was quantized and could be radiated or absorbed only in multiples of a small unit of energy, known as a quantum. Quantization of energy refers to the concept that energy can only exist in discrete amounts, rather than any arbitrary value. Quantization is a process of mapping continuous data into discrete sets. This would be like having only certain speeds at which a car can travel because its kinetic energy can have only certain values.
In 1900, planck proposed that electromagnetic energy could be emitted or absorbed only in discrete units, which he termed “quanta.” Max planck, a seminal figure in the development of quantum theory, introduced the idea that energy is quantized. This would be like having only certain speeds at which a car can travel because its kinetic energy can have only certain values. Energy is quantized in some systems, meaning that the system can have only certain energies and not a continuum of energies, unlike the classical case.