A Battery can be onecell or manycells. Each cell has ananode,cathode andelectrolyte. The electrolyte is the main material inside the battery. It is often a type of acid, and can be dangerous to touch. The anode reacts with the electrolyte to produceelectrons (this is thenegative or- end). The cathode reacts with the electrolyte and takes electrons (this is thepositive or+ end).[1] Anelectric current happens when a wire connects the anode to the cathode, and the electrons move from one end to the other. (But a battery can be damaged by just a wire connecting the two ends, so aload is also needed between the two ends. The load is something that slows the electrons down, and usually does something useful, like alightbulb in aflashlight, or theelectronics in acalculator).[2]
Batteries connected in parallel - shown in a schematic and a drawing
The electrolyte can beliquid orsolid. A battery is called awet cell ordry cell battery, depending on the type of electrolyte.
Thechemical reactions that occur in a battery areexothermic reactions. This type of reaction makes heat. For example, if you leave your laptop on for a long time, and then touch the battery, it will be warm or hot.[3]
Arechargeable battery is recharged by reversing the chemical reaction that occurs within the battery. But a rechargeable battery can only be recharged a given number of times (recharge life). Even built-in batteries, cannot be recharged forever. Moreover, each time a battery is recharged, its ability to hold a charge goes down a bit. Non-rechargeable batteries should not be charged as various harmful substances can leak out, such aspotassium hydroxide.
The cells can be connected to make a bigger battery. Connecting the positive of one cell to the negative of the next cell is called connecting themin series. The voltage of each battery are added together. Two six volt batteries connected in series will make 12 volts.[4]
Connecting the positive of one cell to the positive of the other, and the negative to the negative is called connecting themin parallel. The voltage stays the same, but the current is added together. Voltage is the pressure pushing the electrons through the wires, it is measured involts. Current is how many electrons can go at once, it is measured inamps. The combination of current and voltage is the power (watts = volts x amps) of the battery.
Batteries come in many different shapes, sizes andvoltages.
AA, AAA, C, and D cells, includingalkaline batteries, are of standard sizes and shapes, and have about 1.5 volts. The voltage of a cell depends on the chemicals used. Theelectric charge it can supply depends on how large the cell is, as well as what chemicals. The charge a battery delivers is usually measured inampere-hours. Since the voltage stays the same, more charge means a bigger cell can supply more amps, or run for a longer time.
In small, modern batteries, the fluid is immobilized in a kind of paste and everything is put in a sealed case. Because of this case, nothing can spill out of the battery. Larger batteries, such as car batteries, still have liquid inside and are not sealed. A kind of battery that uses molten salts as the electrolyte was invented during World War II.
Fuel cells andsolar cells are not batteries because they do not store the energy inside them.
Acapacitor is not a battery because it does not store the energy in a chemical reaction. A capacitor can store electricity and create electricity much faster than a battery, but it usually costs too much to make it as big as a battery can be. Scientists andchemical engineers are working to make better capacitors and batteries forelectric cars.
↑CalmX, some as; Artist, Was an Experimental; Director, Film; producer; Creator, Video Game Content; inventors, freelance writer for some 18 years She specialized in writing about; inventions; March 2015, in particular Bellis died in."Meet the Inventor of the First Battery".ThoughtCo.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
