Antonio Pacinotti

Born June 17, 1841, in Pisa; died there Mar. 25, 1912. Italian physicist and electrical engineer.

Pacinotti graduated from the University of Pisa in 1861. He became a professor of physics and chemistry at the University of Bologna in 1864. Subsequently, he assumed professorships at the University of Cagliari in 1873 and the University of Pisa in 1881. In 1860, Pacinotti built a dynamo with ring armature winding that was later used by Z. T. Gramme in a multipolar DC generator. In 1863 he used models to demonstrate the reversibility of electric machines. He was the first to consider the possibility of transmitting electric energy over great distances and the use of DC generators for the electrolytic extraction of metals.