How Volta Invented the First Battery Because He Was Jealous of Galvani's Frog

How did Allesandro Volta invent the first battery? Learn a story of scientific rivalries, reanimating corpses, tingly metals and Napoleonic politics! I also show you how the frog moved, how to make your own battery out of pennies and vinegar that lights up an LED light bulb and how to make Hydrogen and Oxygen gas out of water! I will also tell you why we can't use pennies to charge our cell phones. This is a fascinating tale behind one of our most used devices in modern life: the battery. Check it out!

Experiments:

1. How to make a voltaic pile:
Take 10 shiny pennies, 10 zinc washers (or tin foil), and cut out 10 circles in paper or cardboard. Put the paper or cardboard in a cup full of vinegar. Layer the items zinc, paper, penny, zinc, paper, penny... You got a battery! Crazy eh?

2. How to make Hydrogen and Oxygen
Take a container of water and add a pinch of baking soda (you can add salt but it will make Chlorine and that is dangerous). Put leads from a 9 V battery into the water. That is it. If you put a tube with a balloon on top of the leads you can collect the gas but be careful, the gasses can be dangerous around a flame!

Thanks:

Big Shout out to Bertrand Wolff in France who is working with Christine Blondel on the History of Electricity. Their videos have a lot more detail on how to recreate the experiments (and how to dissect the frog). If you speak any French I recommend you check it out!
The frog videos were made at their request by Dr. Francois Ferriere at the University de Rennes 1 and can be seen at:

The videos of the voltage and maximum current from a voltaic pile as well as the gentleman getting shocked can be seen at:

Finally, as usual, a big thank you to the fabulous Kim Nalley for singing "electricity" and some background music.

[chrissky]

This lady deserves an educational price for her explanation being so easy and understandable for everybody.

[alessandromarzico]

What is overlooked or forgotten in modern historiography is the fact that the voltaic pile provided the basis for later inventions.
Without a constant electric current (from Volta's Pile) one could not have created an electromagnetic field, which in turn is needed to "invent" a motor or an electric generator, and and and

If we hadn't had such geniuses as Volta and Faraday, what would the world be like today?

[radeonblue]

I learned much more then my physics textbooks. Thanks mam. The videos are awesome and very much educational. You do not miss any point and explain everything in very easy way possible.

[therealpbristow]

Specifically: Volta invented the first electrical *battery*, but Galvani invented the first electrical *cell*.

[adieaf]

Totally awesome that you have communicated all of this with such clarity and humour. This is a series that need to be heard more and would be ideal as a teaching aid for so many. Thank you,

[EricBoudreau-uu]

Hi! Thanks for the video. As an electrician for many years, I can tell you that Amperage is the pressure in the line, not voltage. If you use 2 cups connected by a tube as an example, you can equate Voltage to the difference in heights of the water in the 2 cups, as Voltage the potential change required to even the 2 water levels.. Amperage is the pressure at which the water can flow between the cups through the tube, and Resistance(or Resistivity) can be thought of as the diameter of the connecting pipe. V = IR, the difference in Voltage between the power source and Ground(0v) = the pressure of the water in the tube x the diameter of the tube,

[dahawk]

It would have been good to mention that Luigi got stuff named for him as well. Galvanization, and such.
Eager to dive into the next episode...

[timothyandrewausten]

This is the answer I was looking for, about how a method to produce a steady current of electricity was invented. Brilliant explanation!

[pixxelwizzard]

I absolutely love how you reproduce these experiments in your videos. So cool! I really wanna learn more about Davy now, I saw him in a documentary about the discovery of elements using this battery, and I'm fascinated.

[T.C.-stuz]

I made nearly the exact pile today! My 7th graders and I wrapped the pennies, washers and vinegar. Soaked paper electric tape, with aluminum foil as terminals at the ends. We attached a small LED bulb. The best part was that aluminum on the bottom. Only connected if the little battery was set down on something. Setting it down on my colleagues asks and having it turn on was very satisfying. The students liked it too.

[DualStupidity]

That was great! I also noticed on Wikipedia that Volta named one of his children Luigi. Since they seemed to respect each other very much, I wonder if that was in honor of Galvani.

[andywander]

I love how you obviously love the subject!

[PaolaScz]

Thanks you just explained to me what 2 teachers couldn’t in 1 day in 12 min, you explain amassing I’m impressed

[JorgeMartinez-xbks]

Amazing video. Thanks so much for such a clear explanation

[shaswatakundu]

Maam you are really doing a fantastic job...A lot of new information

[chinmaygiri]

Thanks for the video. I learnt more about electricity from your videos than my entire college life. Appreciate your efforts.. peace

[susheelanisha]

So much love and gratitude from this homeschooling mamma! Thank you!

[stevefreedman]

Thanks Kathy for the very interesting video. I scrolled down the comments and somehow missed the instructions on how to make a simple voltaic pile. If you see this please send me the link or whatever on the how to.
I'll be most grateful..
Thank you again.

[Overtime]

Hehe! My dad is a physicist at CERN and from what gossip i have heard i can confirm physicists are as petty now as they were back in Volta's day!

[donphilp]

Another excellent story thank you so much