Voltaic Pile: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 19:55, 28 September 2015

A copper-zinc voltaic pile.

The Italian inventor Alessandro Volta invented the first battery in 1799. Volta’s battery was called a “pile” and was a stack (or pile) of discs made of two types of metal—one silver, the other zinc. The discs were separated from each other by a piece of cloth or cardboard that had been soaked in salt water. Volta found that this wet stack of “dissimilar metals” created a small electric current, and this current could be drawn off through wires and used for experiments. However, a pile could generate only a small voltage of 1-2 volts. Several piles—a “battery” of them—could be assembled side by side and connected to each other with metal strips to create a high power energy source. Volta gave his name to units of electrical energy, the “volt.”

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-== Voltaic Pile<br>  ==
+[[Image:Voltaic pile.png|thumb|right|A copper-zinc voltaic pile.]]
-[[Milestone:Volta's Electrical Battery Invention, 1799|See also: Milestone:Volta's_Electrical_Battery_Invention,_1799]]<br>
+The Italian inventor [[Alessandro Volta|Alessandro Volta invented]] the first battery in 1799. Volta’s battery was called a “pile” and was a stack (or pile) of discs made of two types of metal—one silver, the other zinc. The discs were separated from each other by a piece of cloth or cardboard that had been soaked in salt water. Volta found that this wet stack of “dissimilar metals” created a small electric current, and this current could be drawn off through wires and used for experiments. However, a pile could generate only a small voltage of 1-2 volts. Several piles—a “battery” of them—could be assembled side by side and connected to each other with metal strips to create a high power energy source. Volta gave his name to units of electrical energy, the “volt.”
-The Italian inventor [[Alessandro Volta|Alessandro Volta invented]] the first battery in 1799. Volta’s battery was called a “pile” and was a stack (or pile) of discs made of two types of metal—one silver, the other zinc. The discs were separated from each other by a piece of cloth or cardboard that had been soaked in salt water. Volta found that this wet stack of “dissimilar metals” created a small electric current, and this current could be drawn off through wires and used for experiments. However, a pile could generate only a small voltage of 1-2 volts. Several piles—a “battery” of them—could be assembled side by side and connected to each other with metal strips to create a high power energy source. Volta gave his name to units of electrical energy, the “volt.”
+== Further Reading ==
-<br>
+[[Milestones:Volta's Electrical Battery Invention, 1799|Volta's Electrical Battery Invention, 1799]] - Recognized as an IEEE Milestone
-[[Category:Power%2C_energy_%26_industry_application]]
+[[Category:Energy]]
-[[Category:Electrochemical_devices_%26_processes]]
+[[Category:Electrochemical_devices_&_processes]]
 [[Category:Batteries]]
+[[Category:Materials]]
+[[Category:Metals]]
+[[Category:Zinc]]