The Stern-Gerlach Experiment

The Stern-Gerlach Experiment demonstrated that particles like electrons have a property called spin, which is quantized—meaning it can only take specific values. When a beam of silver atoms passed through a non-uniform magnetic field, it split into separate parts instead of spreading out evenly. This showed that atomic-scale magnetic moments are discrete, not continuous. The experiment provided key evidence for quantum mechanics, revealing that certain properties of particles are inherently quantized, and it helped scientists understand the microscopic world’s fundamental behavior.