• Question: What is a battery made up of and what will your battery power?

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      Asked by 938newg29 to Louise on 15 Nov 2016.
      • Photo: Louise Mc Grath

        Louise Mc Grath answered on 15 Nov 2016:

        Hi 938newg29!

        Well a battery is made up of 3 main parts:
        1. Electrolyte (liquid/solid part of the battery) and this allows the movement of ions and electrons
        2. Cathode (positive side of battery)
        3. Anode (negative side of battery)
        The cathode and anode can be any material depending on the battery.

        If you connect a wire between the negative and positive terminals, the electrons will flow from the negative to the positive terminal as fast as they can. The electrolyte allows chemical reactions in the battery to occur and these reactions produce electrons.

        My battery will power sensors which can be used to monitor lots of things such as temperature, light, motion etc. Without the battery the sensor will not work as it is unable to power itself!

        Hopefully if my battery is brilliant, we may be able to use it for other things like phones, tablets, computers etc!

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