Each metal when placed into an electrolyte, water, seawater,
soil or any other good electrolyte, has an electric potential. This
potential is different for every metal.
The galvanic series is a list of this potential arranged from
the most "active",lower potential to the most "noble", higher
potential.
The terms "noble" and "active" means that when two metal are
connected the most "active", with the lower potential will corrode,
while the metal with the higher potential, the "noble" material
will not corrode.
The galvanic series, the potentials, are different in different
electrolyte.