 Hamburg had no university then , so prospective students had to attend one of the 22 universities elsewhere in Germany . Intending to study law and economics , Franck entered the University of Heidelberg in 1901 , as it had a renowned law school . He attended lectures on law , but was far more interested in those on science . While there , he met Max Born , who would become a lifelong friend . With Born 's help , he was able to persuade his parents to allow him to switch to studying physics and chemistry . Franck attended mathematics lectures by Leo <unk> and Georg Cantor , but Heidelberg was not strong on the physical sciences , so he decided to go to the Frederick William University in Berlin . 
