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

  • Context: MHB 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Mango12
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Batteries
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The voltage in an ideal battery remains constant regardless of the load applied, aligning with Ohm's Law. In an open circuit, where no current flows, the ideal battery maintains its voltage without any loss. While real batteries experience voltage drop under load, they behave like ideal batteries in open circuit conditions, confirming that the voltage is equal to that in an open circuit.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Ohm's Law
  • Knowledge of ideal versus real battery characteristics
  • Familiarity with electrical circuits
  • Basic concepts of voltage and current
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the differences between ideal and real batteries
  • Study the implications of Ohm's Law in various circuit configurations
  • Learn about voltage drop in real batteries under load conditions
  • Investigate open circuit voltage measurements in practical applications
USEFUL FOR

Students of electrical engineering, educators explaining circuit theory, and anyone interested in the principles of battery behavior in electrical circuits.

Mango12
Messages
48
Reaction score
0
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?
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
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.
 

Similar threads

Ohm's Law - Finding Source Voltage
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
High School The voltage between two points
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
Current through a circuit when the key is open
  • · Replies 42 ·
2
Replies
42
Views
5K
The battery voltage drops when fed to the DC booster circuit
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
MHB How to find currents and voltages with 2 batteries connected?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Why do the headlights on the car become dim when the car is starting?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Why is source force + electrostatic force = 0 inside battery?
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
Undergrad An attempt to understand the associated variable conventions in circuits
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
At the atomic level, why is voltage added when batteries are connected in series?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Undergrad Equation for the Internal Resistance of a Battery
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K