How does voltage in a battery increase?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of voltage in batteries, specifically how to increase the voltage of a battery rated at a certain voltage, such as 2 volts, to a higher voltage like 3 volts. Participants explore the underlying principles of battery chemistry and the factors that contribute to the voltage output of different battery types.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that increasing the amount of charge at both terminals may not effectively increase voltage, as voltage is defined as joules per coulomb, implying that simply adding charge does not change the voltage ratio.
  • Another participant proposes that adding more cells in series can increase voltage, although they express uncertainty about this approach.
  • Several participants inquire about the reasons why some single cells produce higher voltages than others, attributing this to the materials used in the battery and the chemical processes involved.
  • There is a mention of different battery types (lead acid, ni-cad, li-poly) having varying maximum voltages per cell, indicating that battery chemistry plays a significant role in voltage output.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on how to increase battery voltage, with some suggesting series connections of cells while others focus on the chemical properties of single cells. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the specific mechanisms that lead to different voltage outputs in single cells.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the importance of battery materials and chemical reactions in determining voltage, but the discussion does not clarify the specific chemical processes or definitions involved, leaving some assumptions unaddressed.

htttp
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Hi everyone,
I've been reading about electricity lately and I've run into a question that has been bugging me for a while. If you have (or made) a battery that has a rating of 2 volts (this can really be anything, I'm just giving an example) and you wanted to increase it to 3 volts, how would you do that? I suppose this is all conceptual so I don't mean that I physically want to do this.

My initial assumption was that you would just increase the amount of charge at both terminals, but that seems like it would only provide the same voltage but it would just have more charges to put through since voltage is joules per coulomb. So more charge would just mean more C's and therefore more potential energy but the ratio j:p would remain the same, right? I don't know if my assumption is correct or not but If am I right, how would you increase the voltage of a battery? I read that you could just attach another cell but is there a way to do this with a single cell?

EDIT: I read that batteries have different voltages because different materials are used when making the battery to change the voltage. So my question is still the same but I just wanted to throw that in there. To be more clear: What is the difference in number charges, chemical reaction, etc between a battery that is rated for 1.5 volts and one that is rated for 2 volts?
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
I believe you can simply add more cells in series to get a higher voltage. Not 100% sure on that.
 
Drakktih,
I understand that but what I'm really looking for is an answer to the question of why some single cells produce more voltage than others. I understand that it is because of the materials used to produce chemical energy and then create electric potential but what I"m looking for is what it means to do more chemical work on the charges of a battery and how that affects the number of negative/positive charges and so on.
 
htttp said:
Drakktih,
I understand that but what I'm really looking for is an answer to the question of why some single cells produce more voltage than others. I understand that it is because of the materials used to produce chemical energy and then create electric potential but what I"m looking for is what it means to do more chemical work on the charges of a battery and how that affects the number of negative/positive charges and so on.

Are you referring to having a cell that you don't want to physically modify?
 
The voltage of a battery is somewhat affected by the amount of charge. Different battery types (lead acid, ni-cad, li-poly, ...) have a different max voltage per cell. Link to article about batteries with some graphs:

http://www.mpoweruk.com/performance.htm
 

Similar threads

Graduate Screwy AAA Battery
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
841
Undergrad Potential difference between a battery's terminal and Earth ground
  • · Replies 58 ·
2
Replies
58
Views
6K
High School Troubleshooting Battery Internal Resistance Measurements
  • · Replies 105 ·
4
Replies
105
Views
13K
Undergrad In batteries, does stored energy vary with battery voltage?
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
4K
Undergrad How is Potential Difference Created across a Resistor?
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
4K
Undergrad Physics domain analysis of Voltage drop in series resistor
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
Undergrad Energy Flow From Battery to the Light Bulb
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
5K
High School Where Do Electrons Go When a Battery Loses Charge?
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
7K
High School To confirm if I am correct about the role of voltage in a circuit
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
2K
Undergrad Does current decrease inside a wire or does it increase it's velocity?
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K