Heinrich Hertz

Heinrich Hertz was a German scientist who lived from 1857–1894. He is known for being the first person to prove the existence of electromagnetic waves, which are invisible waves of energy that travel through space. He accomplished this by setting up an experiment where he sent electric sparks through a wire and measured the echoes using an antenna. This experiment proved that electromagnetic waves could be transmitted and received through the air, just like sound waves can. Today many of the things we use everyday, like TVs and radios, use electromagnetic waves to send and receive signals. We use Hertz (Hz) to talk about how many waves are sent each second. We often use the saying "Hz have it" when someone understands something quickly, or when we have a solution to a problem.