PHYS102: Introduction to Electromagnetism

The reading above addresses issues that arise when you are trying to characterize the performance of a battery, or increase the voltage or current the battery can deliver. This involves stacking batteries to form a series configuration, or putting them in parallel. Put batteries in series to increase the battery voltage. Increasing the current involves overcoming the internal resistance which is ultimately a by-product of the battery's chemistry. Use a parallel configuration to get more current without degrading the battery voltage.

To illustrate the internal resistance of a battery, we can look for the heating that should occur when a large current flows through any resistor. In this video, a large car battery is made to produce a large current by creating a short circuit (that is a circuit between its terminals containing nothing but a good conductor). Indeed, the battery not only produces heat, it sparks!