Help with Batteries

[Gerty]

My 13 year old son wants to do a science fair project on the life of batteries. Duracell, Eveready and Rayovac. We are going to put each brand in a flashlight and see how long it take to each one to go out. But I think we need more information, Where can we find out more about the batteries?

[Ken]

If you want your son to really learn something, I suggest that his proposed project be "beefed up." Just seeing how long it takes to drain a battery doesn't involve much science. On the other hand, coming to an understanding of how the voltage of a battery changes as it is used can be a great learning experience. Taking it a step further, the behavior of a battery also depends on the current drain of the device and the temperature.

There's actually a sample project on our Web site that explores batteries. You can find it at: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentorin ... aper.shtml It might make more sense to compare different types of batteries instead of different brands.

The "How to Do a Science Fair Project" section of our Web site (see the menu on the home page) also has great tips on how to do research.

Ken -- Science Buddies Staff