Potato Battery Explained

Batteries have 3 parts

1.An anode which is the negative terminal

2.A cathode which is the positive terminal

3.The electrolyte which is a compound that ionizes when dissolved in a solvent

The chemical reactions in a battery cause the electrons to build up at the anode. This results in a chemical difference between the anode and the cathode. This difference is an unstable buildup of the electrons. The electrons want to arrange themselves so that there is no longer a difference. But they have to do this in a specific way. The electrons repel each other and try to go to the place with the fewer electrons. In a battery the only place to go is a cathode. But, the electrolyte keeps the electrons from going straight from the anode to the cathode inside the battery. When the circuit is closed the electrons will be able to get to the cathode.

In the picture above, the electrons go through the wire, lighting the light bulb along the way. However, these electrochemical processes change the chemicals in anode and cathode to make them stop supplying electrons. So there is a limited amount of power available in a battery (That’s when the battery runs out). Potatoes naturally contain salt, one of the most important ingredients for conducting electricity. In electricity, salt is important for conducting the current in the form of ions. When combined with water, the salt breaks apart into separate ions, conducting positive and negative charges to power a small electronic device.

1.What makes a potato similar to an electrical battery?

The liquid electrolyte in a battery is similar to potato juice. Potato juice ionizes substances into their ions in a solvent just like electrolyte. That’s what makes a potato similar to an electrical battery, In order for it to give the potato power. In this same way, potato juice makes the electrons go in either the anode or the cathode. Then all the electrons travel through a wire from the anode to the cathode. Another similarity is that potato batteries and electrical batteries both have a limited amount of energy. When the flow of electrons in the battery stops, the energy runs out. Even though these two items have different acid levels on the ph scale they are both acidic enough to produce electricity.

2.What is a voltage and why is it important in a battery?

In a conductor, electrons can jump from one atom to another atom. Electrons need an electrical force to push them along. This force is called voltage. Voltage measures the amount of potential energy in a circuit. One end has more energy than the other. It is measured in volts, which, is the potential energy difference between two ends.

In a battery voltage measures how much potential energy is in the battery. Potential energy is closely related to voltage. In order to get potential energy in joules we need to multiply the voltage by a charge. In an electrical circuit, the charges that move around the circuit are called electrons.

3.What are the basic parts of a battery?

In a battery there are two ends. One is the positive terminal and the other is the negative terminal. The positive terminal is named the cathode. The negative terminal is named the anode. In the middle there is electrolyte. Electrolyte is a liquid that ionizes substances into their ions. A circuit connects the anode and the cathode in order to keep the flow of electrons going on.