Ultraviolet Catastrophe Definition

noun

A fault in classical physics, from the Rayleigh's Law /Rayleigh-Jeans Law outcomes at short wavelengths/high frequencies, that causes infinite amplification of shorter wavelength/higher frequency radiation inside a cavity, due to the application of equipartition theorem on black body radiation within a cavity.

Wiktionary

Origin of Ultraviolet Catastrophe

Coined by Paul Ehrenfest in 1911 in German ULTRAVIOLET CATASTROPHE . From the explosion of energy at the ultraviolet end of the spectrum (away from visible and infrared light) caused by the Rayleigh-Jeans Law theory. The use of UV is to represent that end of the spectrum, given that the visible spectrum represents a stand-in for the whole electromagnetic spectrum, and infrared and ultraviolet are stand-ins for the endpoints. This usage is similar to that represented by the logic behind the terms "redshift" and "blueshift", which assume endpoints of red and blue.

From Wiktionary