How Much Do You Know About Batteries?

Electric batteries harness the potential of electrochemical cells. The chemical reactions in the cells create an electric current that can be used to power all sorts of devices.

Primary batteries can be used once … and that's it. Single-use batteries are cheaper than rechargables, but they're more wasteful.

In 1800, Alessandro Volta constructed the world's first electrochemical battery. His invention charged a revolution.

Alessandro Volta was an Italian physicist, and with his early battery, he actually didn't realize that it was working due to a chemical reaction. In his mind, the contraption would provide a ceaseless amount of energy.

It's the old 9-volt battery trick. Volta touched two different metals to his tongue and felt the tiny tingle of electricity between them … and it set his mind working.

Volta's battery included pairs of zinc and copper discs -- in a pile, of course -- with brine-soaked material (like cloth) between them. But it was a very primitive technology.

The stacks of copper and zinc alone weren't enough. The voltaic pile required an electrolyte to help create an electrical current between the metals. Electrolytes are a vital part of battery technology.

The voltaic pile generated hydrogen bubbles, which slowly but surely degraded the battery's potential. Without a solution, the concept of the pile would likely have died an early death.

Volta's voltaic pile didn't produce energy for any real length of time. The Daniell cell, however, was a lasting source of energy that found commercial success.

The Daniell cell leveraged not one, but two electrolytes. The second electrolyte was formulated to eliminated the pesky hydrogen bubbles … and therefore, greatly extended the battery's life.

In the very first batteries, voltage flutuactions made them useless for actual power purposes. But these early variants were what gave rise to more modern versions.

Secondary batteries, unlike primary batteries, are rechargeable. They can be used numerous times, a fact that cuts down on the number of batteries disposed each year.

Rechargeable batteries may last for years, but they don’t don't last forever. As any smartphone owner knows, these batteries slowly break down and wear out.

The liquid electrolyte of these early batteries was a real hazard. It could leak or spill, meaning there was no way for these cells to be used for portable purpsoses.

Dry cell batteries substituted a paste for the liquid electrolyte. Suddenly, batteries could be integrated into portable products without fear of toxic electrolyte solution dumping all over the place.

In 1859, a French physicist named Gaston Planté created the first lead-acid battery that could be charged and drained repeatedly. It was the first lead-acid battery.

Gaston Planté's lead-acid battery was the first to accept a recharge. To start this process, he simply reversed the current, and the battery would gain back the energy that had been previously exhausted.

False. Chemists and engineers have created dozens of types of battery technologies. All of them have varying power potential and lifespans.

Up until the 1980s, nickel–cadmium batteries were a very common type of rechargeable (secondary) battery. But improved technologies in the 1990s quickly ate the market share of these batteries, which debuted in 1899.

Rechargeable batteries cost substantially more than disposable batteries. But because they can be reused so many times, they actually cost much, much less over the long run.

When you used nickel–cadmium batteries, you had to remember to fully discharge -- and then recharge -- the cells each time you used them. Otherwise, the memory effect would essentially ruin them.

Smart batteries have built-in components that measure both current and voltage. They can start and stop charging as needed, a fact that can greatly extend battery life.

Personal computers commonly use smart batteries. It's how you know the level of power that's remaining in your computer. And the smart battery also enables a range of power management features.

Alkaline batteries are not a rechargeable technology. If you put them in a recharger, they may well rupture and ooze corrosive (and hazardous) liquids.

Before legislation ended the practice in the '90s, alkaline batteries contained mercury, which is highly toxic. Even with mercury-free battery construction, it is illegal in many places to dispose of alkalines along with regular household waste.

Lithium-ion batteries have fast recharge rates and great energy potential. It's one reason they are so common in electronics, from cameras to smartphones.

The Energizer Battery bunny, a pink rabbit that pounds a drum, was introduced way back in 1988. And he is still going, and going…

High temperatures commonly cause alkaline batteries to rupture. It's one reason you don't leave battery-powered electronics on your car's dashboard on a hot summer day.

Lithium-ion batteries -- when not in use -- discharge at a slow rate of just 2% per month. That means after half a year, only 12% of the battery's charge will dissipate.

European countries push alkaline recycling. In the U.S., though, a lot of alkalines wind up in landfills -- only California requires that the batteries be recycled.