Heinrich Hertz

Heinrich Hertz (born February 22, 1857, in Hamburg, Germany, and died January 1, 1894, in Bonn) was a German physicist, philosopher, and engineer known for his contribution to the field of electromagnetism. Hertz held German citizenship and was the father of Mathilde Carmen Hertz.

Hertz was educated at several renowned institutions, including the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Technical University of Munich, and the Humboldt University of Berlin. His doctoral advisor was the eminent physicist Hermann von Helmholtz. Hertz also served as a mentor to several notable doctoral students, including Vilhelm Bjerknes, Udny Yule, and Josef Geitler von Armingen. Heinrich Hertz's father was Gustav Ferdinand Hertz.

Childhood and youth

Heinrich Hertz was born in Hamburg on February 22, 1857 in a wealthy Jewish family.

Heinrich's father - Gustav Ferdinand Hertz (1827-1914) was a very successful lawyer and member (senator) of the administration of the city of Hamburg (1860-1862). At birth, he was named David, but after he and his father (Henry's grandfather) converted to the Lutheran faith, the name David was changed to Gustav. His mother (Heinrich's grandmother) - Betty Augusta Oppenheim (1802-1872), was the daughter of bank owner Solomon Oppenheim (1772-1828) from Cologne. The Sal.Oppenheim bank, founded by Heinrich's great-grandfather, still exists today.

Heinrich's mother - Anna Elisabeth Pfefferkorn (1835-1910) was born in the family of a military physician Johannes Pfefferkorn (1793-1850) and Susanna Gadroiter (1797-1872) from Frankfurt am Main.

In addition to Heinrich, who was the eldest child (first-born), another girl and three boys were born in the family.

The boy's extraordinary abilities were discovered in early childhood. A love of reading and an excellent memory allowed him to learn, for example, such complex languages ​​as Arabic and Sanskrit.

At first he was assigned to the Hamburg Real School. Most of all, Henry was interested in scientific disciplines. Parents saw their son in the future as a lawyer or financier. But having convinced themselves of their son's sincere desire for science and technology, they transferred him to a gymnasium, the end of which gave him the right to enter the university.

After graduating from high school in 1875, Heinrich entered the Dresden Higher Technical School. However, pretty soon he realized that the profession of an engineer would not help him become a real scientist, unraveling the mysteries of natural phenomena. Young Hertz makes a fateful decision and leaves the school to continue his studies at the university. Parents did not interfere with the plans of their son.

Heinrich Hertz was only 36 years old, but in such a short time he managed to make discoveries, the fruits of which mankind still uses:

1) In the spring of 1878 he became a student at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Berlin. The talented young man was noticed by Professor Hermann von Helmholtz, the most famous physicist (and besides this, a physiologist and doctor) of that time. He had a great influence on the formation of Heinrich as a scientist.

2) Under the direction of Helmholtz, the novice researcher published several interesting articles in the field of meteorology, concerning the evaporation of liquids, the design of a new model of a hygrometer, and methods for measuring the parameters of humid air.

3) In 1879, Hertz was awarded a prestigious prize from the University of Berlin for his research.

4) In February 1880, Heinrich defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic "On induction in a rotating ball" and received a university diploma. Interestingly, this work was purely theoretical. Hertz comes to the understanding that without reliable experimental data it is impossible to verify the correctness of theoretical models and begins to devote a significant part of his time to setting up experiments and measuring physical parameters.

5) From 1881 to 1882 Hertz published a series of articles under the general title "Mechanics of Contact Interaction", which described the interaction of two objects in contact with the press.

6) In 1883, on the recommendation of Helmholtz, he received the post of Privatdozent at the University of Kiel.

7) In 1885 Hertz became full professor at the University of Karlsruhe. Here he equipped a laboratory for experiments on electromagnetism. The most famous works of the German physicist were carried out here from 1885 to 1889.

8) Six months later, significant changes took place in his personal life - he married Elizabeth Doll, the daughter of a local teacher who taught geometry.

9) In 1887, Hertz discovered the photoelectric effect (photoelectric effect), observing the discharge of a charged body on which ultraviolet radiation falls. Later, this phenomenon was theoretically explained by Albert Einstein, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921.

10) In 1888, Hertz set up an experiment that irrefutably demonstrated the presence of electromagnetic waves in nature. One part of the equipment was the source of these waves (the transmitter is the "Hertz vibrator"), and the other part, remote from the source, served as the "Hertz receiver".

11) In addition to demonstrating the fact of the existence of waves, he was able to measure their main parameters - the speed of propagation, the coefficients of refraction, reflection and polarization.

12) In 1889, the French, Italian, Austrian, English and Japanese academies presented him with their prizes and awards for his work on electromagnetism.

13) In 1892, Hertz began research with cathode rays and found that these rays were able to pass through metal foil (for example, copper or aluminum).

14) From 1889 until his death, Hertz spent at the University of Bonn, heading the Department of Physics and the Physical Institute.

15) In 1892, the researcher became seriously ill as a result of an infection acquired against the background of a migraine that constantly tormented him. Long-term treatment and several operations did not help, and on January 1, 1894, before reaching the age of 37, he died one month later. The great physicist was buried in Hamburg.

While working in Karlsruhe, Heinrich met and married Elisabeth Doll (1864-1941), the daughter of a local geometry teacher.

Elizabeth gave birth to two daughters, Matilda and Joanna (Johanna). In the mid-thirties of the last century, when the Nazis began to persecute Jews in Germany, the mother and daughters moved to England. The youngest daughter Matilda (1891-1975) received a medical education and became a successful psychologist. The great physicist did not have direct heirs, since his daughters remained unmarried.

Mark on history

Few people managed to make such a huge contribution to the knowledge of the laws of nature in such a short life path, as did Heinrich Rudolf Hertz. Experimental detection of electromagnetic and waves led to a whole cascade of technical inventions, such as the telegraph, radio, television, radar.

In the 20th century, all areas of physics, to one degree or another, were developed thanks to the discoveries of Heinrich Hertz. Grateful contemporaries, as a token of appreciation for his merits, presented prestigious awards, and descendants immortalized the memory in the name of a fundamental physical unit:

- In 1969, a memorial was erected in honor of G. Hertz on the territory of the GDR (as East Germany was then called).

- In 1987, the IEEE, the most authoritative international organization in the field of electronics and electrical engineering, established a medal named after him. This award is given annually for theoretical and experimental studies of wave processes.

- A crater on the Moon is also named after him.

- In honor of him, the International System of Units (SI) named the unit of frequency Hertz (Hz), equal to one oscillation per second.

Of course, he also deserved the Nobel Prize, but, according to the will of Alfred Nobel, they began to be awarded only from 1901. This award is not awarded posthumously.

Childhood and youth

Heinrich Hertz was born in Hamburg on February 22, 1857 in a wealthy Jewish family.

Heinrich's father - Gustav Ferdinand Hertz (1827-1914) was a very successful lawyer and member (senator) of the administration of the city of Hamburg (1860-1862). At birth, he was named David, but after he and his father (Henry's grandfather) converted to the Lutheran faith, the name David was changed to Gustav. His mother (Heinrich's grandmother) - Betty Augusta Oppenheim (1802-1872), was the daughter of bank owner Solomon Oppenheim (1772-1828) from Cologne. The Sal.Oppenheim bank, founded by Heinrich's great-grandfather, still exists today.

Heinrich's mother - Anna Elisabeth Pfefferkorn (1835-1910) was born in the family of a military physician Johannes Pfefferkorn (1793-1850) and Susanna Gadroiter (1797-1872) from Frankfurt am Main.

In addition to Heinrich, who was the eldest child (first-born), another girl and three boys were born in the family.

The boy's extraordinary abilities were discovered in early childhood. A love of reading and an excellent memory allowed him to learn, for example, such complex languages ​​as Arabic and Sanskrit.

At first he was assigned to the Hamburg Real School. Most of all, Henry was interested in scientific disciplines. Parents saw their son in the future as a lawyer or financier. But having convinced themselves of their son's sincere desire for science and technology, they transferred him to a gymnasium, the end of which gave him the right to enter the university.

After graduating from high school in 1875, Heinrich entered the Dresden Higher Technical School. However, pretty soon he realized that the profession of an engineer would not help him become a real scientist, unraveling the mysteries of natural phenomena. Young Hertz makes a fateful decision and leaves the school to continue his studies at the university. Parents did not interfere with the plans of their son.

Heinrich Hertz was only 36 years old, but in such a short time he managed to make discoveries, the fruits of which mankind still uses:

1) In the spring of 1878 he became a student at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Berlin. The talented young man was noticed by Professor Hermann von Helmholtz, the most famous physicist (and besides this, a physiologist and doctor) of that time. He had a great influence on the formation of Heinrich as a scientist.

2) Under the direction of Helmholtz, the novice researcher published several interesting articles in the field of meteorology, concerning the evaporation of liquids, the design of a new model of a hygrometer, and methods for measuring the parameters of humid air.

3) In 1879, Hertz was awarded a prestigious prize from the University of Berlin for his research.

4) In February 1880, Heinrich defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic "On induction in a rotating ball" and received a university diploma. Interestingly, this work was purely theoretical. Hertz comes to the understanding that without reliable experimental data it is impossible to verify the correctness of theoretical models and begins to devote a significant part of his time to setting up experiments and measuring physical parameters.

5) From 1881 to 1882 Hertz published a series of articles under the general title "Mechanics of Contact Interaction", which described the interaction of two objects in contact with the press.

6) In 1883, on the recommendation of Helmholtz, he received the post of Privatdozent at the University of Kiel.

7) In 1885 Hertz became full professor at the University of Karlsruhe. Here he equipped a laboratory for experiments on electromagnetism. The most famous works of the German physicist were carried out here from 1885 to 1889.

8) Six months later, significant changes took place in his personal life - he married Elizabeth Doll, the daughter of a local teacher who taught geometry.

9) In 1887, Hertz discovered the photoelectric effect (photoelectric effect), observing the discharge of a charged body on which ultraviolet radiation falls. Later, this phenomenon was theoretically explained by Albert Einstein, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921.

10) In 1888, Hertz set up an experiment that irrefutably demonstrated the presence of electromagnetic waves in nature. One part of the equipment was the source of these waves (the transmitter is the "Hertz vibrator"), and the other part, remote from the source, served as the "Hertz receiver".

11) In addition to demonstrating the fact of the existence of waves, he was able to measure their main parameters - the speed of propagation, the coefficients of refraction, reflection and polarization.

12) In 1889, the French, Italian, Austrian, English and Japanese academies presented him with their prizes and awards for his work on electromagnetism.

13) In 1892, Hertz began research with cathode rays and found that these rays were able to pass through metal foil (for example, copper or aluminum).

14) From 1889 until his death, Hertz spent at the University of Bonn, heading the Department of Physics and the Physical Institute.

15) In 1892, the researcher became seriously ill as a result of an infection acquired against the background of a migraine that constantly tormented him. Long-term treatment and several operations did not help, and on January 1, 1894, before reaching the age of 37, he died one month later. The great physicist was buried in Hamburg.

While working in Karlsruhe, Heinrich met and married Elisabeth Doll (1864-1941), the daughter of a local geometry teacher.

Elizabeth gave birth to two daughters, Matilda and Joanna (Johanna). In the mid-thirties of the last century, when the Nazis began to persecute Jews in Germany, the mother and daughters moved to England. The youngest daughter Matilda (1891-1975) received a medical education and became a successful psychologist. The great physicist did not have direct heirs, since his daughters remained unmarried.

Mark on history

Few people managed to make such a huge contribution to the knowledge of the laws of nature in such a short life path, as did Heinrich Rudolf Hertz. Experimental detection of electromagnetic and waves led to a whole cascade of technical inventions, such as the telegraph, radio, television, radar.

In the 20th century, all areas of physics, to one degree or another, were developed thanks to the discoveries of Heinrich Hertz. Grateful contemporaries, as a token of appreciation for his merits, presented prestigious awards, and descendants immortalized the memory in the name of a fundamental physical unit:

- In 1969, a memorial was erected in honor of G. Hertz on the territory of the GDR (as East Germany was then called).

- In 1987, the IEEE, the most authoritative international organization in the field of electronics and electrical engineering, established a medal named after him. This award is given annually for theoretical and experimental studies of wave processes.

- A crater on the Moon is also named after him.

- In honor of him, the International System of Units (SI) named the unit of frequency Hertz (Hz), equal to one oscillation per second.

Of course, he also deserved the Nobel Prize, but, according to the will of Alfred Nobel, they began to be awarded only from 1901. This award is not awarded posthumously.