Cool Activities

How Batteries Work!

The first battery was invented almost 200 years ago. Today, we use batteries many times every day. Watches, calculators and cars all use batteries. But what exactly is a battery and how does it work?

Batteries create an electric current by using the stored-up energy in chemicals and changing it to electrical energy.

Every battery has a positive part (called the cathode) and a negative part (called the anode). The cathode and anode touch the two different kinds of chemicals that are stored in the battery.

When you turn on a flashlight, you are creating a closed circuit – a path for the electricity to follow. Electricity travels from the anode (the bottom of the battery) through the metal flashlight container and the switch. Then it lights the light bulb and travels to the top of the battery through the cathode. When you create a closed circuit by throwing the switch, you allow the chemicals in the batteries to react together. This reaction makes the current flow from the anode to the cathode. That’s why the light bulb lights.

Batteries of all shapes and sizes allow us to take electronic items with us wherever we go. The next time you look at your watch, play a portable video game or ride in a car, you can think of the battery that makes it all possible.

Mixed-up Mess

We want to create a battery and light bulb circuit. Unfortunately, someone has mixed up the letters of the things that we need. What a mess! Help us by unscrambling the following words that have to do with the parts of the battery. All of the words can be found in the paragraphs above.