Alessandro Volta (1745-1827) An
Italian physicist known for the discovery of the electric battery. Volta was born and educated in Como
? Italy, where he bacame professor of physics at the Royal School in 1774. In 1775 he devised the electrophorus, an instrument that produced a static electric charge. In 1776-77 he studied gas chemistry, and devised experiments such as the ignition of gases by an electric spark in a closed vessel. In 1779 he became professor of physics at the University of Pavia
?, a chair he occupied for 25 years. In
1800, as the result of a professional disagreement over the galvanic response advocated by [Luigi Galvani]
?, he developed the so-called
voltaic pile, a forerunner of the electric
battery, which produced a steady stream of electricity.
In honor of his work in the field of electricity, Napoleon made him a count in 1801. The electrical unit known as the volt was named in his honor.
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