Chapter 1308: Father of Electromagnetism
That afternoon, Joseph, Mirabeau, Theresa, and others made a preliminary plan for building a new steam forging machine factory and expanding iron rail production using the forging machines.
Of course, this endeavor involved the entire nation and would eventually encompass railway construction across a large part of Europe, requiring astronomical funds. Therefore, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Transport would need to formulate a detailed implementation plan.
At 4 PM, Joseph bid farewell to his father and left the Engineering Design Institute. Seeing that it wasn't dark yet, he instructed Eman to first go to the French Academy of Sciences.
When Kullen learned that His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, had arrived, he and Volta quickly jogged out of the academy's experimental building to greet him.
Joseph wasted no time, exchanging only brief pleasantries with the two before motioning for President Le Roy and the others to enter the laboratory.
Kullen pointed to a square glass tank, about half a meter high, filled with liquid and metal plates on the experimental bench, and excitedly introduced it to Joseph:
"Your Highness, we have proven your theory through extensive experimentation.
"This Voltaic Pile Battery can discharge continuously for over 40 minutes, providing hundreds of times more electricity than a Leyden jar!"
As he spoke, Volta had already connected the experimental equipment nearby. "Allow me to demonstrate it for you, Your Highness."
A string of bubbles immediately appeared in the water.
Volta gestured to his assistant, who promptly brought two glass test tubes and placed them over the two electrodes.
Kullen mysteriously asked Joseph, "Your Highness, do you know what those bubbles in the water are?"
Joseph replied without hesitation, "It must be hydrogen and oxygen."
This was a classic water electrolysis experiment, one he had performed in junior high physics class.
Kullen and Volta's eyes widened in surprise. "You, how did you know?"
"Good heavens, we thought we had made a brand new discovery..."
Joseph felt a little embarrassed, as if he had dampened their enthusiasm. He wished he had just played along and said, 'I don't know.'
Kullen was the first to recover. "Right, this Voltaic Pile Battery was built according to the Crown Prince's design. Of course, you would know these small details."
He muttered to himself, glad they hadn't applied for a patent earlier.
Joseph hastily reassured them, "Ah, I only provided the concept. Without your excellent work, it would never have become a usable battery.
"As for the two gases, it's because I know water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen, and when electrified, they can potentially be electrolyzed out..."
He suddenly realized he had misspoken again.
Sure enough, Volta immediately asked, "What do you mean by 'electrolysis'?"
Joseph rubbed his forehead. "We'll discuss that later. First, let me see the battery."
"Oh, of course, as you wish."
Volta put away the copper wire, picked up a nearby wooden clamp, and pointed to the metal plates in the glass tank. "You see, these are thin silver plates, and on this side, zinc plates, separated by rubber. Then, they are carefully bent into an S-shape to maximize the surface area of the metal plates and generate more electricity."
Kullen added, "The solution used is 25% sulfuric acid. After our repeated experiments, this is the optimal concentration."
Joseph nodded repeatedly. Although the principle of the Voltaic Pile Battery was very simple, in this era with no prior knowledge, creating a practically valuable device was no easy feat.
Just by looking at the densely packed, regularly arranged metal plates in the glass tank, it was clear that the amount of electricity was far beyond the "toys" he used for his own experiments.
And with this battery, France would enter the electrical age!
For example, the telegraph machine!
However, Joseph immediately sighed internally. Now that they only had the Voltaic Pile Battery, there was still a series of problems before a simple telegraph machine could be built, such as battery miniaturization, electromagnets, and sending and receiving circuits.
Currently, there wasn't even reliable insulated wire; Volta was still "playing" with bare wires while wearing gloves... This would require vulcanized rubber to create wire insulation.
A truly practical telegraph machine would also need an important component: a relay. Otherwise, the transmission distance would be limited to at most two or three kilometers, making it less effective than Chappe's signal tower.
It would be best to also have rechargeable lead-acid batteries.
'Well, slow and steady. Scientific research can't be rushed.'
Joseph roughly outlined the various technologies needed and said to Kullen, "I once discovered a phenomenon that might help you in your research on electricity."
The latter earnestly replied, "I eagerly await your new theory."
Joseph picked up a thin silver wire from the experimental bench, muttering to himself, 'Can't we use copper wire? This stuff is so expensive...'
He then found a finger-thick wooden stick and wound the silver wire around it. Since there was no insulating layer, he had to leave a very wide gap between the coils.
Next, he had Kullen bring a compass, then connected the two poles of the Voltaic Pile Battery to both ends of the silver wire wound around the stick.
When he brought the compass close to the top of the wooden stick, everyone's eyes in the laboratory widened in disbelief—the compass deflected for no apparent reason!
"Wh-what?! How is that possible!"
"Is that some kind of trick?"
Joseph shook his head slightly. "I call this the 'electromagnetic phenomenon.' When an electric current passes through a conductor, it generates a magnetic force. Moreover, I've found that the direction of the magnetic field is related to the current. You can determine it by making a fist with your right hand and extending your thumb..."
Kullen and Volta listened to the Crown Prince explain the principles of electromagnetism with the reverence one would give to scripture.
As dusk settled, Joseph finally finished his "lecture." He silently apologized to Faraday in his mind.
He didn't dare to explain too much, leaving out electric field principles, electromagnetic conversion, and similar concepts. Such cutting-edge theories needed to be given time for the two men to digest.
Before returning to Versailles, Joseph instructed Kullen, "You can experiment with copper. After all, batteries put into practical use in the future cannot use silver.
"Additionally, you should try to wrap non-conductive outer layers around the wire."
"Yes, Your Highness."
As Joseph was about to leave, he heard Volta whisper, "Your Highness, what exactly is 'electrolysis'?"
"Uh... I'll tell you next week. You can review some chemistry knowledge first."
Joseph boarded the Steam Railcar outside the academy. As the vehicle slowly started with a whistle, he turned to Eman and instructed him about the next day's schedule: "Send someone to invite Monsieur Lavoisier to see me tomorrow morning. After lunch, we will go to Notre-Dame de Paris..."
"An escort? No, it's not needed, nor do Archbishop Brienne and the others need to accompany me."
'Indeed, developing vulcanized rubber presents considerable difficulty, so it can only be entrusted to Lavoisier.'
As for going to Notre-Dame de Paris, he simply wanted to have a casual chat with the Pope.
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