Understanding of electrochemistry

[jaredmt]

just wondering. i remember once i had a battery, some change, and my keys in my pocket and eventually i reallized the battery got really really hot. just for the heck of it i tried to get that to happen again and it didnt work. can someone explain why this happenned before?

i tried putting a penny on the - end and connected it to the + end with my keys. and i tried it the other way around too but didnt work. i guess my keys are made of zinc and copper.

edit: or would this just take a long time? cus i don't feel like sitting there for 2 hours. i was just trying to further my understanding of electrochemistry

 

[Borek]

Short circuit is a key word here.

 

[Redbelly98]

If you make a connected path of metal between the + and - terminals, that's a short circuit and the battery will heat up noticeably. Probably within a half a minute. If that does not happen, either the connection was broken somewhere or possibly the battery is already dead.

 

[jaredmt]

ok i tried it again with a paperclip and it worked in like a few seconds. is it possible to create a fire with a battery and paperclip?

 

[jaredmt]

ok i think i just found the answer to that: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1037835/survive_fire_from_a_battery_and_staple/

thats pretty cool... i guess when u cut open the tape on the - end of hte battery, the middle separating paper separates the anode and cathode? I am pretty sure that's y this works