Boltzmann, Ludwig (1844-1906), was an Austrian theoretical physicist. He made important contributions to the understanding of radiation and to the kinetic molecular theory .
In 1884, Boltzmann deduced an equation, the Stefan-Boltzmann law. This law states that the total energy radiated from a body is proportional to the fourth power of the body’s absolute temperature. He also developed the Boltzmann distribution, a mathematical expression that gives the distribution of energies for a collection of particles at a fixed temperature.
Boltzmann was born on Feb. 20, 1844, in Vienna and graduated from the University of Vienna. He taught at a number of European universities. Boltzmann’s published works include Lectures on Maxwell’s Theory of Electricity and Light (1891-1893) and Lectures on Gas Theory (1895-1898). He died on Sept. 5, 1906.
