INTRODUCTION
IN October 1877, at the age of twenty, Heinrich Hertz went
to Munich in order to carry on his engineering studies. He
had chosen this as his profession, and had already made some
progress in it; for in addition to completing the usual year
of practical work he had thoroughly grounded himself in the
preliminary mathematical and scientific studies. He had
now to apply himself to engineering work proper, to the
technical details of his profession. At this point he began to
doubt whether his natural inclinations lay in the direction of
this work-whether he would find engineering as satisfactory
as the studies which led up to it. The study of natural
science had been a delight to him: now he feared lest his life-
work should prove a burden. He stood at the parting of the
In the following letter he consults his parents in the
ways.
matter.
MUNICH, 1st November 1877.
MY DEAR PARENTS -No doubt you will wonder why this
letter follows so quickly after my previous one. I had no inten-
tion of writing so soon again, but this time it is about an important
matter which will not brook any long delay.
I really feel ashamed to say it, but I must: now at the last
moment I want to change all my plans and return to the study of
natural science. I feel that the time has come for me to decide
either to devote myself to this entirely or else to say good-bye to
it; for if I give up too much time to science in the future it will
end in neglecting my professional studies and becoming a second-
rate engineer. Only recently, in arranging my plan of studies,
have I clearly seen this-so clearly that I can no longer feel any
doubt about it; and my first impulse was to renounce all un-