But from all these difficulties emerged the
golden truth, that under every variety of circumstances the
decompositions of the voltaic current are as definite in their
character as those chemical combinations which gave birth to the
atomic theory. This law of Electro-chemical Decomposition ranks,
in point of importance, with that of Definite Combining Proportions
in chemistry.
Footnotes to Chapter 6
[1] I copy these words from the printed abstract of a Friday
evening lecture, given by myself, because they remind me of
Faraday's voice, responding to the utterance by an emphatic 'hear!
hear!'--Proceedings of the Royal Institution, vol. ii. p. 132.
[2] In 1838 he expresses himself thus:--'The word current is so
expressive in common language that when applied in the consideration
of electrical phenomena, we can hardly divest it sufficiently of its
meaning, or prevent our minds from being prejudiced by it.'--
Exp. Resear., vol. i. p. 515. ($ 1617.)
[3] This conclusion needs qualification. Faraday overlooked the
part played by ozone.
Chapter 7.
Origin of power in the voltaic pile.
In one of the public areas of the town of Como stands a statue with
no inscription on its pedestal, save that of a single name, 'Volta.'
The bearer of that name occupies a place for ever memorable in the
history of science. To him we owe the discovery of the voltaic pile,
to which for a brief interval we must now turn our attention.
The objects of scientific thought being the passionless laws and
phenomena of external nature, one might suppose that their
investigation and discussion would be completely withdrawn from the
region of the feelings, and pursued by the cold dry light of the
intellect alone.
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