a RED CAT and AN OX on an OIL RIG
Your late IYC entry for May:
In May of 1800 two British gentleman discovered that you could force the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen, a process known as electrolysis. They did this by connecting wires to a battery under water. But I don't want to write about electrolysis or the ridiculous notion that it could be used to create a car fueled solely by water. I want to tell you about something that you probably don't go a single day without using: BATTERIES.
Batteries consist of two metals that don't directly touch each other but are connected by a an electrolyte bridge. That's it. Two metals, one electrolyte. So you could have a copper penny (an old one, not the newer copper plated one) and a galvanized zinc nail stuck in a lemon, and you've got yourself a battery. By connecting the penny and the nail with a wire you complete the circuit and can measure the voltage between the penny and the nail. The voltage is basically the energy it takes to move electrons from the penny to the nail, energy that is supplied by the reactions in the battery. In the lemon battery, and all other batteries for that matter, the electrons flow in a circle or circuit. When the ANode goes through OXidation, it loses electrons (Oxidation Is Losing-OIL)which then pass along the wire and travel to the cathode. Then REDuction takes place at the CAThode as the metal gains electrons (Reduction Is Gaining-RIG). This creates a positive charge at the anode and a negative charge at the cathode. The electrolyte that the cathode and anode are sitting in contains ions and the negatively charged ions move towards the anode to balance the charge and to ensure the reaction keeps taking place and the electrons keep going through the wire. When you open the circuit (i.e. turn it off) the reactions stop happening because the pathway for electrons to move from anode (positive terminal) to cathode (negative terminal) is broken. When the metal at the anode is depleted from the reduction reaction, the flow of the electrons slows to the point that the battery is dead. To recharge a battery, you use electricity to drive the electrons in the opposite direction, reversing the reactions that occurred during use of the battery and restoring the anode and cathode. By recharging, you force the anode and cathode to go back to the state that they were in when the battery was fully charged. It's like turning back time!
In May of 1800 two British gentleman discovered that you could force the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen, a process known as electrolysis. They did this by connecting wires to a battery under water. But I don't want to write about electrolysis or the ridiculous notion that it could be used to create a car fueled solely by water. I want to tell you about something that you probably don't go a single day without using: BATTERIES.
Batteries consist of two metals that don't directly touch each other but are connected by a an electrolyte bridge. That's it. Two metals, one electrolyte. So you could have a copper penny (an old one, not the newer copper plated one) and a galvanized zinc nail stuck in a lemon, and you've got yourself a battery. By connecting the penny and the nail with a wire you complete the circuit and can measure the voltage between the penny and the nail. The voltage is basically the energy it takes to move electrons from the penny to the nail, energy that is supplied by the reactions in the battery. In the lemon battery, and all other batteries for that matter, the electrons flow in a circle or circuit. When the ANode goes through OXidation, it loses electrons (Oxidation Is Losing-OIL)which then pass along the wire and travel to the cathode. Then REDuction takes place at the CAThode as the metal gains electrons (Reduction Is Gaining-RIG). This creates a positive charge at the anode and a negative charge at the cathode. The electrolyte that the cathode and anode are sitting in contains ions and the negatively charged ions move towards the anode to balance the charge and to ensure the reaction keeps taking place and the electrons keep going through the wire. When you open the circuit (i.e. turn it off) the reactions stop happening because the pathway for electrons to move from anode (positive terminal) to cathode (negative terminal) is broken. When the metal at the anode is depleted from the reduction reaction, the flow of the electrons slows to the point that the battery is dead. To recharge a battery, you use electricity to drive the electrons in the opposite direction, reversing the reactions that occurred during use of the battery and restoring the anode and cathode. By recharging, you force the anode and cathode to go back to the state that they were in when the battery was fully charged. It's like turning back time!
