A Leyden jar is an electrical component that stores a high-voltage electric charge between conductors on the inside and outside of a glass jar, typically a glass container lined inside and out with metal foil and fitted with a metal terminal reaching down to the inner foil; it was the original form of the capacitor. The German cleric Ewald Georg von Kleist discovered the effect independently on October 11, 1745, and the Dutch scientist Pieter van Musschenbroek of Leiden made the same discovery in 1745 and 1746, giving the device its name. The Leyden jar gave experimenters the first practical means of accumulating and discharging large quantities of electric charge at will, making it central to early research into electrostatics and electrical conduction.
Facts
Patent or First-Use DateNo patent covers this scientific discovery; dated to von Kleist's 11 October 1745 finding, following the same convention live on the-printing-press entity. YearDiscovered independently by Ewald Georg von Kleist in Germany and Pieter van Musschenbroek at Leiden; von Kleist's date is used here. SignificanceIt was the first means of accumulating and preserving electric charge in large quantities that could be discharged at the experimenter's will, thus overcoming a significant limit to early research into electrical conduction. 1 Sources
1. Leyden Jar (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationDiscovery section, independent invention sentence
Its invention was a discovery made independently by German cleric Ewald Georg von Kleist on 11 October 1745 and by Dutch scientist Pieter van Musschenbroek of Leiden
Discovery section, von Kleist date
Its invention was a discovery made independently by German cleric Ewald Georg von Kleist on 11 October 1745
Discovery section, significance sentence
It was the first means of accumulating and preserving electric charge in large quantities that could be discharged at the experimenter's will, thus overcoming a significant limit to early research into electrical conduction.
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
Who invented the Leyden jar?
It was discovered independently by von Kleist in 1745 and by Musschenbroek of Leiden.
No single person is credited alone, because the device was discovered independently twice. The German cleric Ewald Georg von Kleist discovered the effect on 11 October 1745, and the Dutch scientist Pieter van Musschenbroek of Leiden made the same discovery in 1745 and 1746, which gave the jar its name. It was the first means of accumulating and preserving electric charge in large quantities that could be discharged at the experimenter's will.
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