Heinrich Hertz

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Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (/hɜːrts/ HURTS; German:

[ˈhaɪnʁɪç ˈhɛʁts];[1][2] 22 February 1857 – 1 January
1894) was a German physicist who first conclusively
proved the existence of the electromagnetic waves
predicted by James Clerk Maxwell's equations of
electromagnetism. The unit of frequency, cycle per
second, was named the "hertz" in his honor.[3]

Heinrich Hertz

Born Heinrich Rudolf Hertz

22 February 1857
Free and Hanseatic City
of Hamburg

Died 1 January 1894 (aged 36)

Bonn, German Empire

Alma mater University of Munich

University of Berlin

Known for Contact mechanics

Electromagnetic radiation
Emagram
Parabolic antenna
Photoelectric effect
Hertzian cone
Hertzian dipole antenna
Hertzian oscillator
Hertz vector
Hertz–Knudsen equation
Hertz's principle of least
curvature

Awards Matteucci Medal (1888)

Rumford Medal (1890)

Scientific career

Fields Electromagnetism
Electrical engineering
Contact mechanics

Institutions University of Kiel

University of Karlsruhe
University of Bonn

Doctoral advisor Hermann von Helmholtz

Doctoral students Vilhelm Bjerknes

Signature

Biography

Heinrich Rudolf Hertz was born in 1857 in Hamburg,

then a sovereign state of the German Confederation,
into a prosperous and cultured Hanseatic family. His
father was Gustav Ferdinand Hertz.[4] His mother
was Anna Elisabeth Pfefferkorn.[5]

While studying at the Gelehrtenschule des

Johanneums in Hamburg, Hertz showed an aptitude
for sciences as well as languages, learning Arabic.
He studied sciences and engineering in the German
cities of Dresden, Munich and Berlin, where he
studied under Gustav R. Kirchhoff and Hermann von
Helmholtz. In 1880, Hertz obtained his PhD from the
University of Berlin, and for the next three years
remained for post-doctoral study under Helmholtz,
serving as his assistant. In 1883, Hertz took a post
as a lecturer in theoretical physics at the University
of Kiel. In 1885, Hertz became a full professor at the
University of Karlsruhe.[6]

In 1886, Hertz married Elisabeth Doll, the daughter

of Max Doll, a lecturer in geometry at Karlsruhe.
They had two daughters: Johanna, born on 20
October 1887 and Mathilde, born on 14 January
1891, who went on to become a notable biologist.
During this time Hertz conducted his landmark
research into electromagnetic waves.[7]

Hertz took a position of Professor of Physics and

Director of the Physics Institute in Bonn on 3 April
1889, a position he held until his death. During this
time he worked on theoretical mechanics with his
work published in the book Die Prinzipien der
Mechanik in neuem Zusammenhange dargestellt
(The Principles of Mechanics Presented in a New
Form), published posthumously in 1894.[8]

Death

Scientific work

Third Reich treatment

Legacy and honors

Works

See also

References

Further reading

External links

Last edited 9 days ago by Wbm1058

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