84 



WRITINGS OF JOSEPH HENRY. 



[1835 



ferent batteries ; the several elements of which are united so 

 as to act as one plate of copper and one of zinc. The four 



y.mi'/..'/f(^^fm^./^y//..,.y//3//^<<^/mM/^mfm 



Fig. 2.— Plan of Battery. 



batteries therefore will act together as a "calorimotor" of four 

 elements. The arrangement, as given in the drawing, is in- 

 tended to illustrate b}'- one figure the two sets of connectors; 

 but such an arrangement becomes interesting in practice in 

 determining the effect of the conjoined actions of batteries 

 producing electricity of different intensities. 



The circuit of the connections as given in the figure is 

 complete except at a 6; the two plates at this point form the 

 poles of the battery. A set of poles however may be formed 

 at any other point of the circuit, by making an interruption 

 at that place. In the same way two or more sets may be 

 formed. It furnishes an interesting and instructive experi- 

 ment to place a pair of large decomposing plates at a 6 and 

 another ate d. When only one of these is plunged into a saline 

 solution, the circuit being interrupted at the other pair, no 

 effect is produced ; but as soon as this other is plunged into 

 a similar solution, a copious decomposition simultaneously 

 takes place at both. Also the co-temporaneous action in 

 each element of the battery is pleasingly shown b}"- placing 



