- #1
Alex Hughes
- 54
- 13
So, I'm a little confused on how batteries work. I understand they convert chemical energy into electrical energy. I also understand that the battery consists of an anode and a cathode with an electolyte in the middle to force the electrons from the chemical reaction to have to follow the wires in the circuit. But everywhere I read it says the chemical reactions in the battery are triggered as soon as you connect the two terminals with a conducting wire. How does completing the circuit all of a sudden trigger the chemical reactions? Also, in my physics class they always told us to think of the electrons as sliding down to a lower potential and being driven back up to the higher potential by some electromotive force. However, this goes against what I've been reading. It seems once the electrons flow from the anode to the cathode, they stay there until all the electrons produced from the chemical reaction are equally distributed between the two leads and no potential difference occurs anymore. Is what they tried to explain to us in physics only for conventional current? Or do the electrons actually go back to the anode after they have been dumped into the cathode. Lastly, what do these chemical reactions consist of and how do they work? Sorry for rambling, just didn't know the order to ask my questions. Would appreciate a detailed response. Thanks!