Mar 15, 2021 Pageview:604
Batteries are among the main sources of energy in modern technology. Most portable devices run on batteries, and that is what makes them very important.
Look at your mobile phone or laptop, for instance. Would you be using it if it did not have batteries? Also, think about where the world would be were it not for the power from batteries.
But have you ever wondered what kind of energy comes from these batteries? Well, that is what we are going to find out here.
Keep reading.
Energy is required when you want to perform any duty. That is why the potential to do any work is defined as energy.
Potential and kinetic energy are the two main forms of energy. One can be easily converted into the other.
Understanding potential and kinetic energy
Before we determine what type of energy a battery is, we must understand kinetic and potential energy.
Potential Energy
Potential energy is defined as the energy stored in an object due to its position or how its parts are arranged. The outside environment does not affect potential energy within such an object, system. That means the energy remains the same despite its height or the air around it.
Potential energy is not transferable. It is the main energy with the object, which defines the object.
However, the energy depends on the height or distance, and mass of the object that holds it. Imagine holding a hammer in your hand. That hammer carries what is called potential energy as part of its setup.
It does not matter what happens to the hammer from the outside; this energy remains the same. You cannot say that potential energy changes when you raise the hummer or move it to a different location.
That forms the main difference between potential and kinetic energy.
Kinetic Energy
Whereas potential energy is stagnant, kinetic energy is the energy of the particles in motion within an object or a system.
Kinetic energy is affected by other stationery and moving objects present around the object or system. For example, the hammer's kinetic energy above increases when you place it on a higher surface.
?Kinetic energy can be transferred from one moving object to another. This happens through processes like vibrations and rotations. Its intensity depends on the object's speed or velocity and mass.
Let's go back to the example of a hummer above. When raised, it has only potential energy. But when you drop it downwards and hit a surface, it will acquire kinetic energy.
Here are the important things to note:
?The raised hammer carries more potential energy since it can go high and low.
?The stored potential energy is converted to kinetic when the hammer falls to the ground.
Kinetic and potential energies are connected. Simply put, the potential is energy in position, while kinetic is energy in motion.
The main relationship is that they can transform into each other. Potential energy can become kinetic energy, and kinetic energy can become potential energy.
Potential and Kinetic Energy in Batteries
Potential and kinetic energy is found in electrons. Atoms are the smallest building blocks of everything in the universe, composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons. These atoms give the objects the ability to transfer kinetic energy.
Every atom comprises a nucleus, where electrons orbit. These electrons are in constant motion, which is why they have kinetic energy.
However, things do change, especially when you apply pressure to the atoms. Kinetic energy within the electrons increases when you apply pressure to the object. This causes them to move faster, jumping into a wider orbit.
A battery is a form of potential energy. But explaining this requires one to get a bit more technical and understand what happens with electrons within them.
First, it's important to understand that batteries store electrical potential energy when electrons shift from the cathode to the anode. This is how the battery achieves charge.
When electrons are moving from one direction to another, this chemical potential energy is converted to electricity inside the circuit. Thus, the battery is discharged.
We can therefore conclude that a battery is potential energy.
Electrical Energy
There is another way to look at batteries in terms of kinetic and potential energy. And that is to concentrate on the electrical power in them.
Electrical power can be potential, and it can be kinetic as well. That is because it's created from the flow of an electric charge.
We already know that batteries have electrical potential energy when charging. However, the charged particles begin to react when you apply force to the battery. They convert the potential energy into kinetic as they do some work.
The happens when you switch on a light. The battery's potential energy travels through a wire, converting into heat and light, which are kinetic.
Batteries are one of the best sources of energy in the world. They store electrical energy, which is converted into other forms when the battery in use.
However, batteries are only energy storage devices. That means they do not make their own electric energy. You must charge a battery, either by solar or electricity, to use it.
Natural sources of energy are those that produce their energy. The best example is the sun. Man has been using the sun as the main source of light and heat.
Later, man invented fire, which becomes the first usable energy.
Energy is all around. You can always feel the heat, light, sound, magnetism, gravity, movement, and many other things.
Natural sources of energy include things like the sun, wind, and water. But not the battery and other forms of electrical energy. They are all man-made.
We rate batteries in terms of their output voltage and capacity. Capacity means how long a battery can last in Ampere hours.
A battery carrying a 1 Ah capacity will only work for one hour at a 1A rate.
Also, batteries are rated based on their energy capacity in watt-hours. A battery carrying 1 kWh capacity will go for one hour at 1 kW.
The rate of energy output depends on the system it is powering. You can use power calculators, taking measurements, internal resistance, closed/open-circuit voltage, and battery ratings to determine the actual output.
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