How-to · Step-by-step
How does a battery work?
A battery stores energy as chemicals and releases it as electricity, using a chemical reaction that pushes electrons through a connected circuit from one terminal to the other.
The step most authors miss
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Step by step
How to do it
1.A chemical reaction frees electrons
At the negative terminal (the anode), a chemical reaction releases electrons. The materials are chosen specifically because one readily gives up electrons and the other readily accepts them.
2.Electrons gather at the negative terminal
Because the freed electrons cannot pass directly through the electrolyte, they build up at the negative terminal, creating an electrical “pressure” — a voltage — between the two terminals.
3.A circuit lets electrons flow
When you connect the battery into a circuit, you give the electrons a path. They flow out of the negative terminal, through the wires and your device, toward the positive terminal.
4.The flowing electrons do work
As the electrons travel through the circuit they power your device — lighting a bulb, spinning a motor or running a phone — converting the chemical energy into light, motion or heat.
5.Ions move through the electrolyte
Inside the battery, charged particles called ions move through the electrolyte between the electrodes, completing the circuit and keeping the reaction balanced so current can keep flowing.
6.The battery runs down or recharges
When the reacting chemicals are used up, the battery is flat. In a rechargeable battery, applying an external voltage reverses the reaction, restoring the chemicals so the cycle can repeat.
Chemical energy turned into electricity
A battery is a device that stores energy in chemical form and converts it into electricity on demand. Inside every battery are three essentials: two electrodes — a negative one (the anode) and a positive one (the cathode), made of different materials — separated by a chemical substance called the electrolyte. The electrolyte lets charged particles move between the electrodes while forcing electrons to take the long way round, through the external circuit. It is this enforced detour of electrons that delivers usable electric current to whatever the battery powers.
Common questions
FAQ
What is the difference between a rechargeable and a single-use battery?+
In a single-use (primary) battery, the chemical reaction is essentially one-way, so once the chemicals are consumed the battery is spent. In a rechargeable (secondary) battery, the reaction can be reversed by passing current back through it from a charger, rebuilding the original chemicals so the battery can be used many times.
Why do batteries go flat?+
A battery produces electricity through a chemical reaction that gradually consumes its reactive materials. When those chemicals are largely used up, the reaction can no longer push electrons around the circuit, so the voltage falls and the battery stops powering your device — it has gone flat.
Why do batteries drain faster in the cold?+
Batteries rely on chemical reactions, and chemical reactions slow down at low temperatures. In the cold, the reactions inside the battery proceed more sluggishly and the electrolyte becomes more resistive, so the battery delivers less current and appears to run down or weaken more quickly.
Going deeper
