Against the Light

[Monte Davis]

> Moreover, the particle/wave duality of light introduced by photoelectric 
> effect in the early 20th century starts a rather paradoxical state of
affairs
> that will be followed and expanded by quantum mechanics for all matter...

Umm... This is so loose as to be confusing, confused or both. Particle
theories of light had been popular off and on since Greek times. Wave
theories made headway through the 18th century as the math for them matured,
and seemed to have triumphed for good with Maxwell's formulation, leaving
just a few murky corners.

Then, before anyone had heard of Einstein, Planck posited the quantum to
explain one of those corners. It was unclear (even to him) how much it was a
conceptual and calculational convenience, but it certainly was strongly
particle-flavored. Einstein's work on the photoelectric effect reinforced
that.