Replica of Original Hertz Screen for Polarisation

Made:
1928-1929 in Munich

Replica of original Hertz screen for polarisation, 2 metres high, made by Modellbauanstalt Munchen, Munich, 1928-1929. Original in the Deutsches Museum

In 1873, a Scottish mathematician and physicist, James Clerk Maxwell, proposed a theory that electromagnetic waves would behave in much the same way as light beams, and thus could be controlled. Hertz's experiments in 1887 were trying to prove this theory. He used the screen to demonstrate that electromagnetic waves polarised, meaning that they moved in more than one direction. Maxwell's theory and Hertz's experiments provided the scientific foundations for wireless telegraphy.

Details

Category:
Radio Communication
Object Number:
1929-300
Materials:
metal (unknown), iron and wood (unidentified)
Measurements:
overall: 2000 mm x 2000 mm x 80 mm, 25kg
overall (estimate): 2000 mm x 1190 mm x 1010 mm, 24.5 kg
type:
scientific equipment
credit:
Purchased from Modellbauanstalt Munchen