Which scientist, active in the late 1880s, was inspired by Maxwell's equations to propose wireless signaling?

Which scientist, active in the late 1880s, was inspired by Maxwell's equations to propose wireless signaling?

• A. Nikola Tesla
• B. Heinrich Hertz
• C. James Clerk Maxwell
• D. Albert Einstein

Answer: (B)

Maxwell’s equations show that changing electric and magnetic fields propagate through space as electromagnetic waves, meaning signals could travel without wires. In the late 1880s, Heinrich Hertz built experiments that tested this idea directly. He created spark-gap transmitters to generate high-frequency electromagnetic waves and simple detectors to pick them up at a distance, demonstrating that radio waves could be emitted, travel through space, and be detected. This experimental confirmation linked Maxwell’s theory to a practical way to send signals wirelessly, making Hertz the key figure in turning the theory into a demonstrable form of wireless communication. (Tesla explored related wireless ideas, but Hertz is the one who concretely validated the concept through his experiments in that period.)

Maxwell’s equations show that changing electric and magnetic fields propagate through space as electromagnetic waves, meaning signals could travel without wires. In the late 1880s, Heinrich Hertz built experiments that tested this idea directly. He created spark-gap transmitters to generate high-frequency electromagnetic waves and simple detectors to pick them up at a distance, demonstrating that radio waves could be emitted, travel through space, and be detected. This experimental confirmation linked Maxwell’s theory to a practical way to send signals wirelessly, making Hertz the key figure in turning the theory into a demonstrable form of wireless communication. (Tesla explored related wireless ideas, but Hertz is the one who concretely validated the concept through his experiments in that period.)