Heinrich Rudolf Hertz

Home > ... > Science and Technology > Physics > Physics: Biographies > ...

Heinrich Rudolf Hertz

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Heinrich Rudolf Hertz , 1857-94, German physicist. He confirmed J. C. Maxwell's electromagnetic theory and in the course of experiments (1886-89) produced and studied electromagnetic waves (known also as hertzian waves, or radio waves). He demonstrated that these are long, transverse waves that travel at the velocity of light and can be reflected, refracted, and polarized like light. Hertz also investigated electric discharge in rarefied gases. The unit of frequency called hertz was named in his honor. His writings include Electric Waves (1890, tr. 1893) and Principles of Mechanics (1894, tr. 1899).

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-Hertz-He" title="Facts and information about Heinrich Rudolf Hertz">Heinrich Rudolf Hertz</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"Heinrich Rudolf Hertz." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 25 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Heinrich Rudolf Hertz." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (November 25, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Hertz-He.html

"Heinrich Rudolf Hertz." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved November 25, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Hertz-He.html

Learn more about citation styles

Hertz, Heinrich Rudolf

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | © World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Hertz, Heinrich Rudolf (1857–94) German physicist. In his early career, he worked as an assistant to Hermann Helmholtz. In 1888, Hertz discovered, broadcasted and received the radio waves predicted by James Clerk Maxwell. He also demonstrated that heat and light are kinds of electromagnetic radiation. The unit of frequency, the hertz (Hz), is named for him.

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O142-HertzHeinrichRudolf" title="Facts and information about Heinrich Rudolf Hertz">Heinrich Rudolf Hertz</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"Hertz, Heinrich Rudolf." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 25 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Hertz, Heinrich Rudolf." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (November 25, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-HertzHeinrichRudolf.html

"Hertz, Heinrich Rudolf." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved November 25, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-HertzHeinrichRudolf.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Free Article Haring, Kristen. Ham Radio's Technical Culture.(Book review)
Magazine article from: International Social Science Review; 9/22/2008
Free Article De la maquina electrica a la radiologia en Colombia.(Editorial)(Editorial)
Magazine article from: MedUNAB; 8/1/2006

Related topics

  Edit this list

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

Who Discovered Radio Waves?
Newspaper article from: Al Bawaba; 4/22/2007; 238 words ; Heinrich Rudolf Hertz was born in Hamburg, Germany on February 22, 1857. Hertz was a bright young professor of physics...he discovered radio waves in 1887. Hertz detected these waves with a metal wire...
Brushing up on ac circuit fundamentals.
Magazine article from: Plant Engineering; 6/1/2005; ; 700+ words ; ...etc. The number of cycles in one second is the frequency, and is measured in Hz, named for Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (See "Brief history of Hertz"). Voltage considerations The voltage at any one particular point in time is the instantaneous...
Haring, Kristen. Ham Radio's Technical Culture.(Book review)
Magazine article from: International Social Science Review; 9/22/2008; ; 700+ words ; ...1867), James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), and Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857-1894) that unlocked the mystery of electromagnetic...frequency (a specific number of cycles per second, or Hertz) and transmitted across distances at the speed of light...
Science vs. technology.(relationship between pure science and applications-oriented engineering)(Editorial)
Magazine article from: Test & Measurement World; 7/1/2008; ; 700+ words ; ...observations of others. Maxwell's equations, he said, predict a radiative form of electromagnetic energy, which Heinrich Rudolf Hertz was later able to generate and detect. It wasn't long, Taylor said, until practical radios came into use...
Germany enlists Indiana U. to help reform education system
News Wire article from: University Wire; 8/3/2006; ; 686 words ; ...With names such as Albert Einstein, former NASA Director Wernher von Braun and radio technology pioneer Heinrich Rudolf Hertz all being trained in at German universities, the country solidified itself in the past as a world leader in the...
'Slow' friction waves could presage earthquakes
Newspaper article from: Jerusalem Post; 10/17/2004; ; 700+ words ; ...hundreds of years by people as distinguished as Leonardo da Vinci and physicists Charles Augustin de Coulomb and Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, the study of friction remains as intriguingly current today as it was 500 years ago. Scientists have yet to...
De la maquina electrica a la radiologia en Colombia.(Editorial)(Editorial)
Magazine article from: MedUNAB; 8/1/2006; ; 700+ words ; ...para almacenar y trasmitir electricidad por parte de Heinrich Daniel Ruhnkorff. Los tubos al vaco tambin sufrieron...vidrio. Otro adelanto importante fue el realizado por Rudolf Hertz en 1888, al observar que los rayos catdicos podan atravesar...
People of spectroscopy
Magazine article from: Spectroscopy; 9/1/2000; ; 700+ words ; ...deduce an explanation for Hertz's photoelectric effect...changes in spectroscopy. Hertz, Heinrich R. (1857-1894...The unit of frequency Hertz is named in his honor...luminiferous ether. Mossbauer, Rudolf L. (1929- ) - Discovered...

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

For students and teachers!

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Popular on Newser: