![]() ![]() He was convinced that a substantial electric charge could be collected when he received a significant shock from the device. In 1744 von Kleist lined a glass jar with silver foil, and charged the foil with the help of a friction machine. Their opinion about the nature of electricity was that they saw it as a kind of liquid and hoped to develop the jar to capture this fluid. ![]() The idea for the Leyden jar was discovered independently by German scientist and jurist Ewald Georg von Kleist and the Dutchman Pieter van Musschenbroek. This experiment inspired the development of several forms of “friction machines”, that greatly helped in the study of electricity.ĭesign of a Leyden Jar Ewald Georg von Kleist and the Leyden Jar When Guericke held his hand against the ball and turned the shaft quickly, a static electric charge built up. In the 17th century Otto von Guericke built a first mechanical electrostatic generator that consisted out of a sulphur ball rotating on a shaft. What was missing for a long time, was some means to store electric energy over the time. But, this electrostatic effect could only be established temporarely. The Greek word for amber is ἤλεκτρον (“ elektron“) and is the origin of the word “ electricity“. The amber becomes electrified by triboelectric effect, mechanical separation of charge in a dielectric. From the Ancient Greeks to Early Friction MachinesĮven the Ancient Greeks already knew that pieces of amber could attract lightweight particles after being rubbed. The Leyden jar provided a much more compact alternative and initiated what is often referred to as the early age of electricity. ![]() In the times before its invention, researchers had to resort to insulated conductors of large dimensions to store a charge. Its discovery was of fundamental importance in the study of electricity. The jar worked in principle like a capacitor for the storage of electrical energy and was used to conduct many early experiments in electricity. On October 11, 1745, German cleric Ewald Georg von Kleist (and independently of him Dutch scientist Pieter van Musschenbroek from the city of Leiden, Netherlands) invented a predecessor of today’s battery, the Leyden Jar. Leyden Jars, Teylers Museum, Haarlem, The Netherlands ![]()
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