Today is Battery Day, so here are 10 things you might not know about batteries:
- The word battery was coined by Benjamin Franklin to describe the multiple Leyden jars he used in his experiments. He took the word from the military term “battery”, meaning a group of weapons working together.
- It's possible people were using batteries two thousand years ago. In 1938 some archaeologists in Iraq found a 5 inch clay jar containing a vinegar solution and an iron rod surrounded by a Copper cylinder. The device produced 1.1 to 2.0 volts of Electricity. Nobody knew what its makers used it for.
- The first battery as we know it was invented by Italian physicist Alessandro Volta in 1798. It consisted of a stack of copper and Zinc plates, separated by brine-soaked Paper disks. He called it the voltaic pile. He didn't quite understand how the thing worked, that it was fuelled by chemical reactions and wasn't inexhaustible. However, the voltage of such early batteries wasn't constant enough for them to be of any practical use. It was 1836 before British chemist John Frederic Daniell invented a more reliable device called the Daniell cell, which could be used to power electrical telegraph networks.
- Rechargeable batteries came along in 1859 after French physicist Gaston Plante invented the Lead acid cell.
- The largest rechargeable battery in the world is located in Fairbanks, Alaska, where it is used as a backup source of power to be used during outages.
- Batteries work best at a temperature of 20-30 degrees C. Extreme heat and cold are both damaging to them. On a related note, if you've ever wondered why smoke alarms seem to beep a lot at night, it's because the air has cooled and slowed down the chemical reactions, making the power lower than it would be during the day and more likely to trip the device's low battery detector. That said, storing batteries at lower temperatures when not in use can extend their life.
- There is a battery-powered bell at Oxford University which has been continuously ringing for more than 175 years. No one knows what the battery is made of and no one wants to take the device apart to find out.
- A common experiment in school science lessons is to make batteries out of pieces of fruit or vegetables, like Potatoes. They don't produce enough power to be useful, however. If you happen to have some nuclear waste and artificial Diamonds hanging around, it's possible to make a battery that will last centuries.
- A battery is made from four main components: a positive electrode, a negative electrode, an electrolyte and a separator. This is true no matter how big or small they are.
- While there will be an expiration date on a box of batteries, they can still be used after this date. They may be slightly less efficient but they can still be used.
Who's That Girl?
Matt Webster lives in a tower block and attends a failing school. He dreams of being a spy like James Bond. Little does he know that he is being watched by someone who can make him into even more than that – a superhero.
His first solo mission is to attend a ball at the Decembrian Embassy and discover who is planning to steal a priceless diamond. While there, he meets the mysterious Lady Antonia du Cane, and is powerfully drawn to her. It soon becomes clear, however, that Lady du Cane is not what she seems. Matt’s quest to discover who she really is almost costs him his career.
A modern day Guy Fawkes gathers a coterie around him with the aim of blowing up Parliament with a nuclear bomb. To achieve this, they need money. Lots of it. Selling the Heart of Decembria Diamond will provide more than enough. All that stands in their way is the Freedom League – but the League is beset by internal disagreements. Can the heroes put their differences aside in time to save the day?
Prime Minister Richard Miller and his wife Fiona grieve for their daughter, Yasmin, who has been missing for three years, and is presumed to be dead. Viper agent Violet Parker could hold the key to what happened to Yasmin, but Violet is accused of giving away the organisation’s secrets. She is to be executed without trial. Will she take her knowledge of what happened to Yasmin with her to her grave?
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