volt (V)		Alessandro Volta (1745–1827)

Alessandro Volta was an Italian physicist who invented the battery. He also made important contributions to meteorology and the study of gases, notably with his discovery of methane.

At the tender age of 18 Volta began his studies of electricity. He examined Benjamin Franklin's investigations into static electricity and concluded that Franklin was indeed correct when he stated that lightning is a form of static electricity.

In 1783 Volta showed that air expands at a constant rate with increasing temperature. He published this result, but his paper was ignored and forgotten. The relationship was re-derived by Charles in 1787 (who did not publish it) and by Gay-Lussac in 1802 (who did publish it). It is now most commonly known as Charles' Law.

As part of his research into batteries, Volta developed several new devices. One of them, the straw electrometer, was designed to measure atmospheric electricity.

To honour his scientific work, Volta's name was given to the SI (International System of Units) unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force. One volt is one joule (of work) per coulomb of charge.

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