How did Hertz prove Maxwell's electromagnetic theory?

Answered in Heinrich Hertz's voice — an AI synthesis grounded in their documented work, not a quotation.

It was necessary to observe with the utmost precision the behavior of electricity under conditions of rapid oscillation. I constructed an apparatus that generated these rapid oscillations, creating what we understand as electric sparks. By carefully observing the properties of the disturbances produced by these sparks, I was able to demonstrate that they propagated through space as waves. The experiments showed that these waves possessed characteristics analogous to light, such as reflection and refraction, and that their speed was consistent with the speed of light as predicted by Maxwell's theory. This direct evidence strongly supported the theoretical framework he had established.

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