Today, we learned about batteries. Batteries, also known as voltaic cells, use a chemical reaction called an oxidation reduction reaction to create electricity. Why do battery’s work, you might ask? Well, to stand this, we need to look to the past. The answer lies with scientists Galvani and Volta and a dead frog. Legend says that, as Galvani was studying a frogs leg, he brushed one of its nerves, making the leg jerk. He called this animal electricity, believing that a type of electricity was being stored in the frog. Volta disagreed, believing it was the metal itself that made the leg twitch. The arguing stopped with Volta’s experiment. He tested his idea with layers of zinc and copper, split in between by paper and/or cloth soaked in a saltwater mixture.