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Heinrich Hertz, in full Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, (born February 22, 1857, Hamburg [Germany]—died January 1, 1894, Bonn, Germany), German physicist who showed that Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell’s theory of electromagnetism was correct and that light and heat are electromagnetic radiations.

Updated on January 04, 2019 Physics students around the world are familiar with the work of Heinrich Hertz, the German physicist who proved that electromagnetic waves definitely exist. His work in electrodynamics paved the way for many modern uses of light (also known as electromagnetic waves).

Heinrich Hertz proved the existence of radio waves in the late 1880s. He used a spark gap attached to an induction coil and a separate spark gap on a receiving antenna. When waves created by the sparks of the coil transmitter were picked up by the receiving antenna, sparks would jump its gap as well.

German physicist Heinrich Hertz discovered radio waves, a milestone widely seen as confirmation of James Clerk Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory and which paved the way for numerous advances in communication technology. Born in Hamburg on February 22, 1857, Hertz was the eldest of five children.

Lived 1857 – 1894. In a series of brilliant experiments Heinrich Hertz discovered radio waves and established that James Clerk Maxwell’s theory of electromagnetism is correct. Hertz also discovered the photoelectric effect, providing one of the first clues to the existence of the quantum world.

Serious developmental work on radar began in the 1930s, but the basic idea of radar had its origins in the classical experiments on electromagnetic radiation conducted by German physicist Heinrich Hertz during the late 1880s. Hertz set out to verify experimentally the earlier theoretical work of Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell.

Heinrich Hertz and the Development of Physics In addition to confirming Maxwell's electromagnetic theory. Hertz's experimental and theoretical work one hundred years ago helped lay the foundation for quantum theory and relativity.

Heinrich Hertz was a German physicist and mathematician best known for his discovery of what became known as wireless waves. View two larger pictures Biography Heinrich Hertz's parents were Gustav Ferdinand Hertz and Anna Elisabeth Pfefferkorn. Gustav Hertz was a Jew who converted to become a Lutheran.