On Sunday 3 February 2013
Alessandro
Volta was born in Como, Italy in 1745. In 1774, he was appointed as professor
of physics at the Royal School in Como. While at the Royal School, Alessandro
Volta designed his first invention the electrophorus in 1774, a device that
produced static electricity. For years at Como, he studied and experimented
with atmospheric electricity by igniting static sparks. In 1779, Alessandro
Volta was appointed professor of physics at the University of Pavia and it was
while there that he invented his most famous invention, the voltaic pile.
Alessandro
Volta - Voltaic Pile
Constructed
of alternating discs of zinc and copper, with pieces of cardboard soaked in
brine between the metals, the voltaic pile produced electrical current. The
metallic conducting arc was used to carry the electricity over a greater
distance. Alessandro Volta's voltaic pile was the first battery that produced a
reliable, steady current of electricity.
Alessandro
Volta - Luigi Galvani
One
contemporary of Alessandro Volta was Luigi Galvani, in fact, it was Volta's
disagreement with Galvani's theory of galvanic responses (animal tissue
contained a form of electricity) that led Volta to build the voltaic pile to
prove that electricity did not come from the animal tissue but was generated by
the contact of different metals, brass and iron, in a moist environment.
Ironically, both scientists were right.
Named
In Honor of Alessandro Volta
Volt
- The unit of electromotive force, or difference of potential, which will cause
a current of one ampere to flow through a resistance of one ohm. Named for
Italian physicist Alessandro Volta.
Photovoltaic
- Photovoltaic are systems that convert light energy into electricity. The term
"photo" is a stem from the Greek "phos," which means
"light." "Volt" is named for Alessandro Volta, a pioneer in
the study of electricity.
