Alessandro Volta and his Invention of the

BatteryJaclyn Mouras, Brianna Griffin, Amanda

Bloom, and Billy McGuire

o Human kind has been fascinated by electricity since lightning was first witnessed• 1938 - a jar was found in Iraq that could have been the

first battery (It was over 2000 years old)• 1650 - Otto von Guericke experimented with electricity• 1729 - Stephen Gray discovered electrical conductivity• 1752 - Benjamin Franklin studied properties of

electricityo These discoveries led up to Alessandro Giuseppe

Antonio Anastasio Volta’s invention of the battery

Electricity

o In science and technology, a battery is a device that stores energy and makes it available in an electrical form. A battery converts chemical energy into electric energy. It is a connected bunch of electro-chemical devices.

Definition:Battery

o Luigi Galvani held the theory of animal electricityo He observed twitching in dismembered frog legs• While hanging a specimen from a brass hook, Galvani

touched a steel scalpel to a nerve & saw it move• Galvani believed that when nerve and muscle touch two

dissimilar metals in contact with each other, a contraction of a muscle occurs

• He thought the fluid in the body was the source of electricityo Volta was skeptical of Galvani’s belief• He didn’t think the current could be generated within the

frog’s leg, rather he believed the frog was just a conductoro Volta later disproved the animal electricity theory by

inventing the battery in 1800

Theory Prior to the Battery

Volta’s Batteryo In 1794, Volta began his

work on the battery by experimenting with various metals & electrolytes

o The first battery consisted of a series of alternating copper and zinc rings in an electrolyte

o Glass rods surrounded & supported the metal discs• The strength of the

charged depended on the number of rods

o This became known as the Voltaic Pile

o Volta presented his invention as a mechanism capable of continually holding an electrical charge

o In Paris in 1801, Volta demonstrated his invention to prominent French scientists & Napoleon

o Napoleon was so impressed that he gave Volta a gold medal, a pension, and appointments as a cavalier, senator & count

Volta’s Battery Made Known

o Shortly after Volta publicized his work, many variations followed the Voltaic Pile

o Some include:• The Crow’s Foot battery• Telegraph batteries• Gaston Plante’s Lead

Acid Battery

Battery Changes & Improvements

TOP LEFT: Crow’s Foot BatteryTOP RIGHT: Gordon Primary Telegraph BatteryBOTTOM LEFT: Lead Acid Battery

Batteries: Old & New

Battery Charger

Phone Battery

Batteries: Old & New (cont.)

9 Volt

Camera Battery

o Volta’s invention is so imperative that it’s still in use today

o Modern batteries are much smaller & though improvements have been made, the science behind them is still the same

o Batteries are used in the medical field, in appliances around the house, while driving cars & elsewhere

o Scientists, chemists & inventors are still working to advance the battery

o Thanks to Alessandro Volta’s discoveries & invention our world is better off

Impact of Volta’s Invention