ok THE tOLTAIC BATTKRT. ^ 



really tfie appearance of a simple generalization of farts: 

 but I think it has been shown, that the assumption on which 

 ii rests is contrary to experiment and analogy ; that th^ as- 

 sumption is incapable of explaining the phenomena on ac- 

 count of wliich it was taken up ; and that the?.e phenomena 

 can be explained on iniiiciples unconnected with any hypo- 

 thesis, and which are the result of etperiaient^ahd bbservs* 

 tion. 



Hi. :«•: 



ObsfirraNons on the l^nitivg, or Wire-melting Power of the 

 Voltaic Battery, as proportioned to the /lumber of Plates 

 tmp!oi/ed; with an Account of some Experiments on this 

 Subject y made in conjunction with Mr. John CvTiiBEB/rsoN ; 

 bi/ Mr. Gkorge John Singer, Lecturer on Chemistry 

 and Natural Philosophy. Communicated by Mr, Singeiu 



AN a lecture recently delivered at the Royal Institution, Inquiry coa- 

 Dr. Davy detailed some experiments of the French Phijo- ce""»JJ '^» ^' 

 sophers, made with the mtention or ascertHinin<^ the pro- gr of igniting 

 portion, in which water is decomposed by different Voltaic ^^"*'' "» ^^': 

 combinations, the number of plates beinjj subjected to va- nUna by Mr, 

 ritttion. After some observations on the probable source of i>a^y« 

 inaccuracy in these experiments, he proceeded nearly as 

 follows: ** There is still another very interesting subject of 

 ** inquiry, which has not yet bten touched on ; 1 mean the * 



** proportion the igniting power of the battery bears to the 

 *• number of plates employed." The Dr. then proceeded 

 to exhibit some experiments on this subject; they were ^ 



made with a new apparntns fitted U[) in trouo^hs of Wed«}^- 

 wood ware; the size of the plates 11 inches, by 4f inches. •*-"'t> 



The result of these experiments was very equivocal, two KuomiVifsxn^ 

 batteries ienited four times the lensjlh of wire ignited bv ' ^ *^^^'^^'' 

 077<? battery ; init six batteries ignited little more tfmn twice 

 the length that three could ij^nite. Dr. Duvy supposed, 

 that the rate of im»itiou mi^ht vary in hij^her numbers, 

 •bt^yiui^- a diflvrent law to that vvhich obtanis wben^a few 



plates^ 



