On the relationship between frogs and the development of the electric battery
A few days ago we celebrated the birthday of Thomas Alva Edison, who developed the electric light bulb and the infrastructure for transmitting electricity to it, but he also stands on the shoulders of several people, of whom today we mention another one - Count Alessandro Volta, born in the city of Como in Italy, a Piscadian and a pioneer in the study of electricity. Comte Volta also made several basic discoveries in the fields of electronics, meteorology and pneumatics. He is of course known as the inventor of the first battery. The voltage unit volt is named after him.
Electricity has fascinated humanity since our ancestors experienced lightning. In ancient Greece, Thales claimed that an electric charge could be produced by rubbing amber crystals, or in the Greek name of the substance - electron. In 1938, an urn was found on the outskirts of Baghdad that is considered the first battery. The urn is about two thousand years old from the Parthian period. It is built of mortar and was closed with a plug made of asphalt. Inside the asphalt was stuck an iron wire wrapped entirely in copper. When the jar was filled with vinegar or any other electrolytic compound it produced about 1.1 volts, but this knowledge was not passed down the generations to the modern battery developers, although his ideas are similar to those of today.
The German physicist Otto von Guericke conducted experiments to generate electricity in 1650. The English physicist Stephen Gray discovered electrical conductivity in 1729. The American politician and scientist Benjamin Franklin studied the properties of electricity through his famous experiment of flying a kite during a lightning storm in 1752.
In 1780, Luigi Galvanetti conducted experiments on animal anatomy. During a frog operation, her leg began to shrink. Galvani believed that a certain form of electrical activity exists in the body's environment, similar to lightning.
In 1894, Volta decided to replicate the experiment and did it on a beautiful day when there was no lightning to remove fear of external influence.
During the experiment Volta realized that the two separate metal objects holding the frog might be the source of the activity. Over several years he discovered that the wet muscle tissue passes a current between two different types of metals. Volta modified the effect and created the first continuous electric current.
In 1774 he became a professor of physics at the Royal School in Como, and the following year he invented the electrophorus - a device that produces charges of static electricity.
In the years 1776-77 he specialized in applied chemistry, studied electricity in the atmosphere and performed experiments such as igniting gas using an electronic spark in a closed vessel. In 1779 he became professor of physics at the University of Pavia, a position he held for 25 years. By 1800 he had developed the "voltaic pile" the forerunner of the electric battery that produced a constant current of electricity.
Around the year 1800 he invented the first wet battery which he called "voltaic stack". The voltaic stack consisted of disks of copper and zinc separated by disks of paper or cardboard (immersed in salt water). Copper wires were connected at the top and bottom of the pile. When Volta closed the circuit, electricity flowed through the stack
Volta's battery was perfected by other scientists and the French ruler Napoleon awarded him an honorary medal in 1810 for his discovery.
In his hometown of Como, a museum was built in his honor - the Voltaic Temple, and some of the original instruments he used to perform the experiments are displayed there. Near Lake Cuomo lies Villa Olmo used by the Voltaic Foundation, an organization that promotes scientific activities.
For an overview of the invention of the battery on the IDEA FINDER website
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My father/outside the box
The Baghdad "Battery" was not an electric battery. One reason is that the "electrode" in the center is isolated from the rest of the device. A second reason is that they found more such units, which were used to save documents.
It's a shame to keep spreading this cult story...
How were the measuring instruments in the Volta research laboratory built and what was their accuracy?
outside the box
From what I remember - ancient writings were found in similar tools, so this is probably the use. In addition, there is a coating of tar around the iron rod, so that the tool cannot generate electricity.
And Happy holidays of course 🙂
I did read Chariots of the Gods, but it was many years ago when the book was first published. It may indeed be mentioned in that book. But I don't remember that. I have to believe you on this matter and of course it is clear from your words that it is impossible to produce any kind of electric voltage. with the details found in this urn. The truth is that I did not do any experiment whether it is possible or not. But who knows, maybe one day I will have the opportunity to do such an experiment. If I do, I will report the results on the website. In the meantime, have a happy month of Adar
outside the box
What you are describing is another one of Erik von Daniken's inventions, in the book "Chariots of the Gods" (he is not the source, but he is the one who published the story widely). These tools were found in other places and their use was to guard holy scrolls.
The box has a purpose…. Prevent us from quoting without checking…
If I'm not mistaken, there is a battery called the "Baghdad battery" dating back to ancient Egypt, the battery is a clay urn inside which there is a cylinder made of copper and an iron rod and according to dating it is about 2,000 years old. The urn was found in the ruins of an ancient village in Iraq, and it is the oldest battery ever found (officially, the electric battery was invented in 1867). It is a fairly simple battery: the pitcher was filled with vinegar or lemon juice which together with the immersed metals creates a chemical activity resulting in an electric charge. The urn probably produced an electrical voltage of around 1.5 volts. If so, there are those who have already preceded the inventor of the modern battery.