Battery

A battery is a device which contains electrochemical cells which converts chemical energy into electrical energy. Batteries supplies DC power with the help to two electrode terminals called anode and cathode. The terminal marked negative is the source of electrons. Alessandro Volta built and described the first electrochemical battery.

Basically there are two types of batteries called primary and secondary,

Primary batteries

These can only be used for single time. The chemical process in the primary batteries is irreversible and hence once the charge exhaust they have to be discarded.

Example: Alkaline batteries, Zinc-carbon batteries etc

General Applications: wristwatches, torches, toys etc

Secondary batteries

These can be reused and recharged multiple times. Here the process is reversible and can be recharged by sending reverse current.

Examples: Lithium-ion, Nickle-MH, Nickle-Cadmium etc

General Applications: Toys, Battery banks, Uninterruptable power supplies-UPS, in Space applications to power artificial satellites, electric vehicles etc.

Symbol of a Battery

Battery symbol