PHYS102: Introduction to Electromagnetism

Watch this video for a discussion on how to treat batteries according to Kirchhoff's second rule. The direction in which the electric potential changes is opposite to how it behaves in a resistor. This is why people use a different name for the voltage across a battery: electromotive force. It is not a force, but it is "reminiscent" of a force in that the battery does work on the charges that flow through it, elevating them to a higher potential.