MHB Why is the voltage in an ideal battery equal to that in an open circuit?

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The voltage in an ideal battery remains constant regardless of the load, which is a key characteristic of its design. In an open circuit, there is no current flow, so the battery's voltage is not affected by any resistance. This means that the voltage measured across the terminals of an ideal battery is equal to its open-circuit voltage. Real batteries, however, experience voltage drops under load, but they behave like ideal batteries when no load is present. Thus, the equality of voltage in an ideal battery and an open circuit is a fundamental principle of its operation.
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question: referencing ohm's law, why is the voltage in an ideal battery equal to that in an open circuit?

I know ohm's law, and I know that an ideal battery has the same voltage no matter what it's connected to, but what does that have to do with an open circuit?
 
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Mango12 said:
question: referencing ohm's law, why is the voltage in an ideal battery equal to that in an open circuit?

I know ohm's law, and I know that an ideal battery has the same voltage no matter what it's connected to, but what does that have to do with an open circuit?

Hi Mango12! ;)

A real battery loses some of its voltage in a closed circuit.
Putting a load on real battery has its effect.
However, even a real battery behaves like an ideal battery if there's no load on it - that is, if we have an open circuit.
 

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