JF Ptak Science Books
Alexander Volta: "Ueber die sogenannte galvanische Electricitat..." Volta's original paper "Sull' identita del Fluido Elettrico col Fluide Galvanico"was published in the same year (1802) as this, the first German appearance in print of this seminal work describing the electrical forces acting upon the metal plates in a voltaic pile. These papers appear in Annalen der Physik Herausgegeben von Ludwig Wilhelm Gilbert, series I volume 10. We offer the entire 512pp volume for the half-year (1802), complete, with Volta's paper occupying pp 421-449 and again at pp. 497-520.
With numerous contributions on the galvanic pile including the following in the viertes stueck:
[I] "Berichte an die mathematisch-physikalische Klasse des franzosischen National-Instituts ueber Volta's galvanische Versuche" pp 391-420l [II] "Ueber die sogenannte galvanische Electricitat von Alexander Volta" pp 421-449; [III] "Untersuchungen ueber die Natur der Voltaischen Saule, von J.C.L. Reinhold, pp 450-481;[IV] "Nachricht von einer sehr in der Naehe beobachteten Wasserhose, by Professor C.H. Wolke", pp 482-488.
Condition: Ex-libris Deutsche Akademie der Luftfahrtforschung, then Wright Patterson Field Library (USAF), then Library of Congress. Library markings: small gilt-stamped "Akademie der Luftfahrtforschung", page edges stamped "Wright Field Library/Dayton, Ohio" on top and bottom. Contents quite nice $325.00
"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 immediate 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.).
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