Two-Cell Battery
By engaging in the science and engineering practice of applying scientific ideas to solve design problems, students explore the phenomenon of electricity and build their own two-cell batteries. To make sense of this phenomenon, students determine which electrolyte solution is best suited for making batteries. During this activity, students discover the disciplinary core ideas of energy transfer and design criteria and constraints while applying the crosscutting concepts of teamwork and design.
Students build their own two-cell batteryCopyright Wikimedia Commons http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Alkali_battery_5.jpg
For some engineers, designing amazing batteries is their specialty. Electrical engineers continually conduct research to improve the efficiency of rechargeable batteries that are used in laptops, cell phones, digital cameras and electric cars. Some engineers are developing extremely tiny batteries that are smaller than the width of a human hair. These batteries provide power for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) located in devices for specialized use in the medical and aerospace industries.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe the energy transformations that take place when a battery is connected in a circuit.
- Explain that an electrolyte is needed for a battery to produce current electricity.
- Construct and interpret a graph of current produced by a battery as a function of electrolyte concentration.