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Alessandro Volta, Electrophorus, 1775

An electrophorus is a simple manual capacitive generator used to produce electrostatic charge via the process of electrostatic induction. A first version of it was invented in 1762 by Johan Carl Wilcke, but Alessandro Volta improved and popularized the device in 1775, and is sometimes erroneously credited with its invention. The electrophorus separates positive and negative charges. A positive or negative charge ends up on the metal plate, and the opposite charge is stored in another object after grounding. This separation takes work since the lowest energy state implies uncharged objects. Work is done by raising the charged metal plate away from the oppositely charged resinous plate. This additional energy put into the system is converted to potential energy in the form of charge separation, so raising the metal plate actually increases its voltage relative to the dielectic plate. The electrophorus is a manually operated electrostatic generator.
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Title:
Alessandro Volta, Electrophorus, 1775
Caption:
An electrophorus is a simple manual capacitive generator used to produce electrostatic charge via the process of electrostatic induction. A first version of it was invented in 1762 by Johan Carl Wilcke, but Alessandro Volta improved and popularized the device in 1775, and is sometimes erroneously credited with its invention. The electrophorus separates positive and negative charges. A positive or negative charge ends up on the metal plate, and the opposite charge is stored in another object after grounding. This separation takes work since the lowest energy state implies uncharged objects. Work is done by raising the charged metal plate away from the oppositely charged resinous plate. This additional energy put into the system is converted to potential energy in the form of charge separation, so raising the metal plate actually increases its voltage relative to the dielectic plate. The electrophorus is a manually operated electrostatic generator.
Credit:
Album / Science Source / Wellcome Images
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Image size:
4500 x 3026 px | 39.0 MB
Print size:
38.1 x 25.6 cm | 15.0 x 10.1 in (300 dpi)
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