Born in Como in 1745, Alessandro Volta embarked on his educational journey at the age of 13 with humanities at the Jesuit school in Como, later progressing to scientific subjects in alignment with his interests. Around 1760, he started sharing his research activities through letters, challenging some of the popular and accepted theories of his time related to electrical phenomena. His first significant invention came to light in 1775 - the perpetual electrophorus. This invention, coupled with his studies, led him to be appointed as the professor of experimental physics at the schools of Como. Volta's interests were primarily rooted in practical research, which paved the way for him to innovate numerous inventions harnessing electrical phenomena. This landed him a professorship at the University of Pavia where he developed several tools for a more scientific measurement of electricity over the years.
Between 1799 and 1800, Alessandro Volta crafted and fine-tuned the invention that would catapult him to global fame - the battery. This invention was a departure from conventional batteries, being more practical and efficient, and operated through chemical reactions.
THE CUMULATIVE RESULT OF YEARS OF RESEARCH
Volta's discovery was not an overnight miracle, rather it was the outcome of years of prior research and observations on animal electricity and the related theories of another Italian, Luigi Galvani. Galvani proposed that animals were permeated by an "intrinsic" electricity produced by the brain and then transmitted by the nerves to the muscles where it was stored. He made this deduction during his experiments with frogs, hypothesizing that the metal contact formed an electrical circuit in which his "animal electricity" flowed. Alessandro Volta, however, disputed Galvani's hypothesis, postulating that the frog was not the direct cause of the current flow as the animal's movement was significantly more pronounced when different metals were used for the experiment.
This integral insight was pivotal for the development of the battery. After numerous attempts to create a battery that could generate a consistent electric current, he landed on the final design: a column composed of a series of zinc discs, felt soaked in saltwater, and copper stacked on top of each other. By connecting an electric wire to both ends, the electricity produced by the chemical reaction could be extracted. Even today, the unit for measuring electric potential is called volts, in tribute to Alessandro Volta.
Our lives would be significantly different without the battery. Imagine not having mobile phones or remote controls, or cars that could only start by pushing or turning a crank like old models, and so much more.
Image: Illustration of a Volta pile, 1904, Source: Physics Lessons; Vuibert and Nony Editions, Author Gillard
You Might Also Like :
0 commenti:
Post a Comment