What is the ultraviolet catastrophe?
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The ultraviolet catastrophe, also known as the Rayleigh-Jeans catastrophe, refers to a theoretical problem in classical physics related to the prediction of blackbody radiation. According to classical electromagnetism, the intensity of blackbody radiation at short wavelengths (ultraviolet region) diverges to infinity as the frequency increases, leading to a violation of the equipartition theorem and the law of energy conservation. This discrepancy was resolved by Max Planck’s introduction of quantized energy levels, which led to the Planck radiation law and the birth of quantum mechanics.