Guglielmo Marconi

 

 

 

 

Maggiore, and rummaging among the reeds with a stick on the bottom of muddy water, sees rise to the surface and then vanish into thin air gas bubbles in abundance. Harvest this gas, it turns out the flammable nature and calls it "inflammable air of native marsh" (this is today's natural gas, the discovery should be attributed to time). The interest for flammable gases leads him to use an electric spark to explode in a confined space, building a device (stun gun-flogopneumatica) later called Volta pistol, and developing an analysis tool of health ' eudiometer called air. In the same year he built a perpetual lamp in flammable gas and the idea of ​​transmitting a signal from Como to Milan via a long electric wire, kept in isolation from the ground with wooden stakes. It is the idea that, years later, will find its realization in the telegraph.

9 The teaching of the Volta that followed was so great hall was built at a new hemisphere, which he called "my vague and comfortable theater of physics" (now classroom time). In this period he executed the condensing electroscope, an instrument capable of detecting extremely weak electrical states. Also during this research after you place the concepts of quantity of electricity (Q), capacitance (C) and voltage (V), and arrived at the fundamental relationship of the capacitor (Q = CV). Between 1786 and '92 is concerned, in particular, electricity and meteorology studies the physicochemical properties of gaseous, reaching a determination, ten years before Gay-Lussac, law of uniform expansion of the air.

10 The dispute has uncertain results until the last months of the century, when Volta, exploiting the potential difference due to the contact of two dissimilar metals can achieve by introducing a third conductor electrolyte, a series connection can make contributions individual elements, thus realizing the battery. It was 1799.

11 After Napoleon appointed him senator of the newly formed Kingdom of Italy (1809) and gives it the title of Count (1810). Biographers are happy to go back to these meetings for the admiration of the Volta Bonaparte and moderate sympathy for the French. Not surprisingly, previously, the Jacobins accused him of being Austrianism, while the Austrian's return brought the accusation of semigiacobino. In fact, both the middle-class upbringing and the environment Como naturally inclined him to Austria, but not under the French are less devout (although defining "wise men" who do not side with them, as Frank writes in 1798). Significantly, he called the policy a stormy sea, and country soul with common sense, believed that "divert when the road turns you need to walk." Basically he wanted to proceed in his research, and therefore obeyed by all governments: getting all the help they need to continue their studies, but ran into the charge of opportunism. Emblematic is her get by in the matter of the oath to the Cisalpine Republic (cf. Letters nos. 905-907).

12 Useful and curious addition to offering data that C. Lombroso desunse the Volta remains when, in 1875, were exhumed for the final arrangement in the Volta Temple. The result was the huge cranial capacity (more than 1865 cm3, which is higher than a quarter of the average Italian male skulls). The head circumference (570 mm) was superior to normal proportions, and of the great Italians (except Donizetti).

13 C. For Canterbury meekness of mind - that rejects both the ambition and the spirit of rivalry - is the main quality of the Volta. Suffice to confirm this observation: "In his long career, passed between what they call short-tempered breed of writers, in 148 and 72 autographs its various acts, we gathered at the State Institute Lombardo and valuable collection, not never met an offensive word, a feeling of resentment, nor even hints livid. "

14 Among the many anecdotes ad hoc, we choose a pair, reported by his son Louis, who put together fortitude and humor: "Once attacked in the street by several well-armed robbers, they spoke very frankly, no point quail, so that a judge had to tell him, jokingly, that he had harangued the robbers. Last time, thrown violently from a wood, just rialzatesi ground and stood for some time quietly thinking how he could ever have dusted the side opposite to that of fall ".

About 15 of the stack and triumphs in Paris, resize them with this letter ironic: "The widening of the narrow line and some of my wool in the bulb, and other giocolini have in fact concerned not only the attention of some physicists [...], but of Ministers and the First Consul, and were talked about all of Paris, not that the papers public. Look, say, where do they lose so many heads! I myself, leaving the jokes, I wonder how my old and new findings on the so-called galvanism, which show that nothing be moved by the sheer electricity of metals contact with each other, have produced a lot of enthusiasm. "

16 why he interrupted his friendship with F. Fontana, a professor in Florence. In the letter to Landriani (May 3, 1778), concerning air eudiometer flammable and oxygen production by means other than nitrous acid, after expressing doubt that Fontana was aware of that phone through Baron Dietrich and the Abbot Venini, resolute writes: "My letter to Priestley from the beginning of September [1777], which is published, will show who was the first."

17 "Who was his disciple," attests to the canonical Gattoni, "is testimony to the zeal and interest which he took to educate the youth. He was never the same ones that coll'orecchio strained to hear the beat now and coworkers' eye to spy on the timing of the last month. And after an hour holding the students in a circle until such time as they would liked to hear him, and since there was no physical stromenti at the high school, leading them to the laboratory [that the same Gattoni had made available] and stood for hours in the hill experiments demonstrate that the school had heard of the theory. " On the bunting lessons Bianchi says that "it was frequented by natives and foreigners, and could be heard as so many oracles of science. The method by taking it in teaching was what I had followed in his discoveries. [...] Began by ' point out the phenomena that gave reason to his comments, and 'learned his suspicions, and how these and similar experiments descended to the consequences, so that there never claimed the discovery to prove it afterwards, but in reverse, starting from the causes that had made provision, and moving means pei, with whom he had achieved everything and kept a [...]. In order accurate in the statement of principles, from which, in the narrative of 'proceedings in the description of experiments and the production of evidence; abhorred by all hampered the development of ideas among themselves, and any digression, which amused by the end he has set himself: he used a simple style, but jovial and animated, so that excited the attention not tired, instructing the intellect, not tormented him, delighted in the mind, not bored. "

18 The trachea Spallanzani manipulated a chicken to look like a worm. The Scopoli, known physiologist, classification as a worm, sending a report to the President of the London Academy of Sciences, already warned by Spallanzani. The prank crossed the borders of Europe, while the Spallanzani made it further publicity by publishing, in 1788, five letters addressed to Scopoli and where, in addition to demolishing its value as a physiologist, also attacks the face, be guilty of friend of Scopoli and the other conspirators.

19 About the theme of sex-affective, the Volpati disagrees nineteenth century, believed that the Volta chaste until marriage, and writes: "As the studies the absorption, he was seething in that part of humanity, made up of instincts [.. .] inclined to the ludi of love. " The Lichtenberg (letter of 22 November 1784 at the Wolf) puts it this way in respect of the time: "It's a beautiful man [...] and in a few hours in my house, where we had booze, I noticed [...] that means a lot of electricity of the girls. "

20 For this purpose, then sends a petition to Emperor Leopold II, asking to be transferred to the University of Milan Ticinense. After six months, the answer is negative, it also seems to counter-brother Luigi.

21 We have quoted the Jesuit Carrara information that the times already entered the Marian Sodality in the Jesuit College in Como, where the wishes of the family went to the seminary Benzi, he continued his devotion to Mary in the Congregation of the Oratory fathers directed that the public holiday in the city, youth and noble scholar.

In the work cited in the Big 22 we read: "Almost every Sunday he [...] in a corner of the church of San Donnino, is surrounded by a crowd of youths and young men all intent to learn from the catechism of his lip, it teaches them masterfully. There is no haughtiness in the face, or severity, is all goodness and gentle persuasion, rather than a teacher an expert, is a father among his children and a thousand ways he captivates love, docility, attention. [...] He taught from the Catechism teacher, adapting with comparisons with the easiest examples to the young minds of his listeners, he was among the little boy. Graceful in speaking to cheer her brigatella had innocent jokes, good stories that will brighten up the education and awakened attention. Young people flocked there. Time was not only a scholar, but he had a big heart and he knew that love is the first secret of teaching. The doctrine of the class was once the most crowded and there were often many place. " And, remember that the priests themselves would want to follow those lessons, he adds that "contented himself to go near that lucky class to hear anything of course also the great physicist."

Both Ticinense 23 teachers at the university, but infect not only the face almost all the professors of the Theological Faculty (significantly priests and religious): F. Alpruni, Barnaba, V. Palmieri, cleric regular Oratory S. Perendoli, olive groves, C. Barletti, Piarist. Not forgetting that the ecclesiastical authority was not long against Jansenism, so that the face - as many of my colleagues - believe could follow a perfectly legitimate theological orientation. In any case, when Francis II in 1792 removed the Zola and Tamburini, began to diminish the sympathy Volta, which is further slowed down in 1794 - when the bull was promulgated Auctorem fidei against the Jansenist Synod of Pistoia, and university education theology was placed under the control of ecclesiastical authority - and will switch off completely in 1799.

24 possible hypotheses, but the friend accuses the sympathies of Gattoni Time for Jansenism its theological shortcomings. In fact defends Tamburini and friends "without comprehend well the state of the question," which, "despite his rare talent and physical science that has in some branches, was a matter of moral and theological articles.

Probably 25 of 1834, entitled "A. Volta" and adorned with the motto: "Erat vir ille simplex et rectus et timens Deum (Job 1:1)." In this poem - see Songs and Poems of S. Pellico, Florence, Le Monnier, 1860, 393 hours and Appendix L of the said Letters - Pellico recalls his crisis of faith and the touching words of the Volta.