Alessandro Volta described his voltaic pile, a stack of alternating zinc and copper (or silver) discs separated by brine-soaked cloth or cardboard, in a letter to the Royal Society in London dated March 20, 1800. It was the first electric battery able to deliver a continuous current, and within weeks it was used to split water by electrolysis.
The question, scope, and sources behind this Registry record.
Alessandro Volta described his voltaic pile, a stack of alternating zinc and copper (or silver) discs separated by brine-soaked cloth or cardboard, in a letter to the Royal Society in London dated March 20, 1800. It was the first electric battery able to deliver a continuous current, and within weeks it was used to split water by electrolysis.
The earliest year in which an electrochemical battery capable of supplying a steady electric current was built and described.
Change a parameter to stress-test whether a proposed result is still inside the published specification. This is an audit aid, not a proof checker.
This record has no editable parameters. Read the formal question and assumptions before challenging it.
Current frontiers derived from accepted Claims.
An observed or demonstrated result; no opposing bound is implied.
The frontier is not sacred
Most progress starts with a disagreement that survives contact with evidence. If you can push the known lower bound up or pull the upper bound down, show us the work.
≥ when you have shown that at least this value is achievable.≤ when you have shown that anything above this value is impossible.No vibes. State the value, define the scope, and link the paper, proof, code, or reproduction that lets another person check it. Editors review every challenge before the public record changes.
Challenge this recordAssertions tied to evidence, attribution, and review.
The frontier as it changed over time.
Only accepted Claims matching the current specification contribute to the displayed bounds. Strict inequalities remain open; contradictory Claims require editorial review.
1 accepted Claim, with 1 linked evidence records.
Permanent ID limitsregistry.com/limits/LR-FIRST-ELECTRIC-BATTERY-VOLTAIC-PILE
No active verified bounties are linked to this Limit.
View verified bounty tracker ↗No accepted machine-checked reproductions are recorded for this Limit.
Limits Registry. LR-FIRST-ELECTRIC-BATTERY-VOLTAIC-PILE. First electric battery (voltaic pile). 2026.