Physicist Max Born is best known for his statistical analysis of how subatomic particles behave. His studies of the wave function led to a reassessment of the original quantum theory, replacing the explanation of electrons as particles with a more accurate mathematical and statistical interpretation of the observed behavior of electrons. His work added to the scientific understanding of the inherently probabilistic nature of the basic laws of quantum mechanics, and earned the highest honor in science, the Nobel Prize for Physics, in 1954.