Questions below are based on the following passage: The Electric Battery The events that led to the discovery of the battery are interesting; for not only was this an important discovery, but it also gave rise to a famous scientific debate between Alessandro Volta and Luigi Galvani, eventually involving many others in the scientific world. In the 1780’s, Galvani, a professor at the University of Bologna (thought to be the world’s oldest university still in existence), carried out a long series of experiments on the contraction of a frog’s leg muscle through electricity produced... Show more Questions below are based on the following passage: The Electric Battery The events that led to the discovery of the battery are interesting; for not only was this an important discovery, but it also gave rise to a famous scientific debate between Alessandro Volta and Luigi Galvani, eventually involving many others in the scientific world. In the 1780’s, Galvani, a professor at the University of Bologna (thought to be the world’s oldest university still in existence), carried out a long series of experiments on the contraction of a frog’s leg muscle through electricity produced by a static-electricity machine. In the course of these investigations, Galvani found, much to his surprise, that contraction of the muscle could be produced by other means as well: when a brass hook was pressed into the frog’s spinal cord and then hung from an iron railing that also touched the frog, the leg muscles again would contract. Upon further investigation, Galvani found that this strange but important phenomenon occurred for other pairs of metals as well. Galvani believed that the source of the electric charge was in the frog muscle or nerve itself and the wire merely transmitted the charge to the proper points. When he published his work in 1791, he termed it “animal electricity.” Many wondered, including Galvani himself, if he had discovered the long-sought “life-force.” Volta, at the University of Pavia 125 miles away, was at first skeptical of Galvani’s results, but at the urging of his colleagues, he soon confirmed and extended those experiments. Volta doubted Galvani’s idea of “animal electricity.” Instead he came to believe that the source of the electricity was not in the animal, but rather in the contact between the two metals. During Volta’s careful research, he soon realized that a moist conductor, such as a frog muscle or moisture at the contact point of the two dissimilar metals, was necessary if the effect was to occur. He also saw that the contracting frog muscle was a sensitive instrument for detecting electric potential or voltage, in fact more sensitive than the best available electroscopes that he and others had develope","Volta’s research showed that certain combinations of metals produced a greater effect than others. Volta then conceived his greatest contribution to science. Between a disc of zinc and one of silver he placed a piece of cloth or paper soaked in salt solution or dilute acid and piled a “battery” of such couplings, one on top of another; this “pile” or “battery” produced a much-increased potential difference. Indeed, when strips of metal connected to the two ends of the pile were brought close, a spark was produce","Volta had designed and built the first battery. Show less
Questions below are based on the following passage:
The Electric Battery The events that led to the discovery of the battery are interesting; for not only was this an important discovery, but it also gave rise to a famous scientific debate between Alessandro Volta and Luigi Galvani, eventually involving many others in the scientific world. In the 1780’s, Galvani, a professor at the University of Bologna (thought to be the world’s oldest university still in existence), carried out a long series of experiments on the contraction of a frog’s leg muscle through electricity produced by a static-electricity machine. In the course of these investigations, Galvani found, much to his surprise, that contraction of the muscle could be produced by other means as well: when a brass hook was pressed into the frog’s spinal cord and then hung from an iron railing that also touched the frog, the leg muscles again would contract. Upon further investigation, Galvani found that this strange but important phenomenon occurred for other pairs of metals as well. Galvani believed that the source of the electric charge was in the frog muscle or nerve itself and the wire merely transmitted the charge to the proper points. When he published his work in 1791, he termed it “animal electricity.” Many wondered, including Galvani himself, if he had discovered the long-sought “life-force.” Volta, at the University of Pavia 125 miles away, was at first skeptical of Galvani’s results, but at the urging of his colleagues, he soon confirmed and extended those experiments. Volta doubted Galvani’s idea of “animal electricity.” Instead he came to believe that the source of the electricity was not in the animal, but rather in the contact between the two metals. During Volta’s careful research, he soon realized that a moist conductor, such as a frog muscle or moisture at the contact point of the two dissimilar metals, was necessary if the effect was to occur. He also saw that the contracting frog muscle was a sensitive instrument for detecting electric potential or voltage, in fact more sensitive than the best available electroscopes that he and others had develope","Volta’s research showed that certain combinations of metals produced a greater effect than others. Volta then conceived his greatest contribution to science. Between a disc of zinc and one of silver he placed a piece of cloth or paper soaked in salt solution or dilute acid and piled a “battery” of such couplings, one on top of another; this “pile” or “battery” produced a much-increased potential difference. Indeed, when strips of metal connected to the two ends of the pile were brought close, a spark was produce","Volta had designed and built the first battery.
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