Fig. 8: Explanation of Volta’s battery

“On this system [see Fig. 7], lay a second cloth, then a third piece of copper and zinc in the same manner, fig. 8; the zinc side of this new piece will preserve its excess of vitreous electricity + 1; but, besides this, it will share, like every conducting body, the free electricity of the inferior pieces, which will be supplied at the expense of the ground; and when the electrical state will have become permanent we shall have:

 

Piece 3                       Zinc side, Z3 soldered to C3 +3

Copper side, C3 communicating with the moistened cloth cg +2

 

Piece 2                       Zinc side, Zg soldered to Cg +2

Copper side Cg, communicating with the moistened cloth c1 +1

 

Piece 1                       Zinc side, Z1 soldered to C1 +1

Copper side, C1, communicating with the ground                   0

 

By continuing always the superposition of pairs in the same manner, the quantities of free vitreous electricity will increase from the bottom to the top, in an arithmetical progression” (p. 432).

 

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