Alessandro Volta Italian scientist and inventor of electric batteries Date of Birth: 18.12.1745 Country: Italy

Biography of Alessandro Volta

Alessandro Volta was an Italian scientist and inventor of electric batteries. He was born on February 18, 1745, near Milan in Como. He received his education at a Jesuit school in Como, where he discovered his rhetorical abilities and developed an interest in natural sciences.

At the age of 24, Volta published his first scientific work, which was dedicated to the theory of the Leyden jar. From 1774 to 1779, he taught physics at a gymnasium in Como. During this time, he conducted research in chemistry and developed various physical and chemical instruments. He studied combustible gases, discovered "marsh gas" (methane), designed a hydrogen lamp, and invented an eudiometer.

However, Volta gained true fame with his invention of the electrophorus, a device that demonstrated the electrification of bodies through induction. This achievement allowed him to become a professor at the University of Pavia in 1779. In 1784, he created a sensitive electroscope with straw, invented a flat capacitor, and discovered the conductivity of flames.

In 1815, Volta became the rector of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Padua, and in 1819, he retired. In 1792, after becoming interested in Luigi Galvani's experiments with "animal" electricity, Volta decided to verify their results. He soon concluded that the observed effect had a physical, rather than physiological, nature.

Volta emphasized the importance of using dissimilar metals as electrodes and conducted experiments with different pairs of electrodes. He discovered that the physiological stimulation of nerves was stronger the farther apart two metals were located in the following series: zinc, tin foil, tin, lead, iron, brass, etc., ending with silver, mercury, and graphite. This famous series of voltages (activities) formed the core of the effect.

Volta constructed circuits using different metals to increase contact voltage, which led him to invent a device that revolutionized the study of electricity. In 1800, he constructed the first source of direct current, called the "Voltaic Pile." This device consisted of 20 pairs of copper and zinc discs separated by cloth soaked in saltwater.

In 1801, Volta was invited to France to demonstrate the "pile" and was awarded a gold medal and the title of Count. The unit of electrical potential and voltage, the volt, is named after him. Volta passed away in Como on March 5, 1827.