Volta and the History of Electricity

The roots of the twentieth-century revolution in physics (relativity and quantum theories) are founded on the debates that, at the end of the nineteenth century, opposed the electromagnetic, energetic and thermodynamic 'views of nature', each and all competing with the traditional mechanistic one. We present a collection of papers that improve our understanding of classical electromagnetism from Volta's times to the most recent developments of quantum electrodynamics. Volta's battery modified not only the scientific but also the technical world in a still unparalleled way. The focus of many of these contributions is on the cultural aspects of the physical disciplines, on how they were and are entangled with other human practices relevant for our way of life.' This book has its roots in the 'Volta and the History of Electricity' conference held at the University of Pavia and at the 'Centre for the Scientific Culture A. Volta' (Villa Olmo, Como) in September 1999. [...] (From the Preface)