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How do batteries work? |
How would you like using an MP3 player or your television remote control if they had long cords and had to be plugged into an electrical outlet? It’s a good thing we have batteries, so we can pick up these devices and move around. We don’t have to worry about tripping on the cords or getting tangled!
Batteries are small containers full of special chemicals that can make electricity. The chemicals react with each other to create special tiny particles called “electrons,” and those get stored in one end of the battery. The electrons have only one purpose. They want to get to the other side of the battery. It gets very crowded at their end. The electrons keep pushing against each other, while at the other end, there’s open space for them. If they get the chance, they’re going to go where there is more room, until they even out and both sides have the same number of electrons.
However, the electrons have one big obstacle! There is a barrier in the middle of the battery. They can’t get through until we give them a chance. When something like a wire connects both ends of the battery, the electrons speed through it. This flow of electrons is electricity, and it can power lots of our electronic devices!
Opposites Attract
You may have heard the phrase, “opposites attract.” This is very true in the world of science. The words “negative” and “positive” are opposites. Electrons have negative charges and they are attracted to other tiny particles called “protons” that have a positive charge.
Magnets work the same way. The negative end of one magnet will clack and stick to the positive end of another. However, if you put the negative ends of two magnets together, they will push apart!
What other pairs of opposite words can you think of? There are lots! Up and Down, Left and Right, Over and Under, Top and Bottom. What others can you come up with? Can one of the opposite words exist without the other? Would there be an Up if there weren’t a Down?