S. D’Agostino, S. Leva, A.P. Morando From Volta’s Pile to Ferraris ’ Motor: A History of Instruments and Theories

The theory of Volta’s pile was initially included into Electrolysis and Chemistry. Only after Oersted’s discovery of the magnetic effect of electric currents, Ampére constructed a dynamical theory of their interactions. In the middle of nineteenth century, Faraday’s electromagnetic induction represented one of the main effects at the basis of Maxwell’s field theory, and, at the same time, the fundamental process for industrial production of electric power. The transmission at distance of this power became feasible only through Galileo Ferraris’ invention of the asyncronous motor and his Maxwellian theory of the transformer. The history of Electricicty is thus considered an emblematic example of a chain of tight connection between theories and instrumental operations, and Volta’s pile stands as the most important among the initial rings of this chain. 1