VOLTA, ALEXANDRO. - VOLTA'S LAW OF CONTACT ELECTRICITY.

Ueber die sogenannte galvanische Electricität. (+) Uber die sogenannte.... Zweite Abhandlung.

Halle, Rengerschen Buchhandlung, 1802-(1803). Without wrappers as published in "Annalen der Physik. Herausgegeben von Ludwig Wilhelm Gilbert", Bd. 10, Viertes Stück. (The entire issue offered (= Stück 4). Titlepage to vol. 10. Pp. 389-512 a. 1 engraved plate. + Extract from Ergänzungsheft zum Jahre 1802. (=Zweite Abhandlung). Volta's papers: pp. 421-449 a. pp. 497-520. Very light browning to 2. Abhandlung.

First appearance in German of Volta's importent paper in which he describes the electrical forces that acts between the metal-plates in the Voltaic Pile. The German publication was printed in the same year as the Italian original "Sull' identita del Fluido Elettrico col Fluide Galvanico", 1802.

"A long memoir by Volta in two parts...reports that by measuring the electrometer deflections with different pairs of metals he found that the forces which drive the electric fluid...from the first metal to the second are: silver/copper 1, copper/iron 2, iron/thin 3, lead/tin 1, lead/zinc 5. Then the force for silver/zinc in immidiate contact is 12 (1+2+3+1+5), copper/tin 5 (= 3+2), iron/zinc 9 (5+1+3), etc. Thus 'the force or impulsion with which two metals act on the electric fluid is equal to the sum of the forces of the series of metals which stands between them, and...the electric force is the same as that which arises when the two extreme metals have no effect on the force of the latter'. This is the first statement of what Maxwell called 'Volta'slaw of contact electricity'..."(Partington IV, p.15.).

Order-nr.: 43637