Batteries have been around for centuries. They were first invented in the 19th century, but they were not well understood. Over the years, they have become an essential part of our daily lives. To learn more about how this happened, let’s take a look at some of the most popular battery sizes on today’s market.

Understanding Batteries

To see a little better why there are so many different types of batteries, it’s important to have an understanding as to how they work. The complexity of these power cells is one of the reasons why there are so many different varieties.

Technically speaking, a battery is any device that consists of one of more electrochemical cells that use an external connection to provide power to electrical devices of all different kinds, ranging from watches and remotes to smartphones and cars.

While supplying power, the “positive” terminal is the cathode, whereas the “negative” terminal is the anode. The electrons come from this negative terminal and flow outwards to provide energy to an external device. This circuit allows electrons to flow as ions, creating the necessary conditions for chemical reactions to occur at the separate terminals and deliver energy to the external circuit. It’s this movement of ions that allows the battery to deliver energy and power electronic devices. Traditionally, a battery was considered to be a device with two or more cells, but the definition has expanded to include single-cell power sources.

Batteries can be divided into two types: single use or “disposable” and “rechargeable.” In single-use batteries, the electrode materials are irreversibly changed when the battery is providing power. Typical disposable batteries are the alkaline battery, which is used in a wide range of portable electronic devices.

Rechargeable batteries can do exactly as their name suggests. After their electrodes have been used, they can be changed back to a state that allows them to provide power once again. This is done using a reverse current. It restores the electrodes to their original state and allows them to function as a power source after being used. Rechargeable batteries are used in all different types of devices, such as phones and laptops. But many standard disposable batteries also have rechargeable counterparts, meaning nearly any device can run on multiple use batteries.

Batteries come in diverse shapes and sizes. They can be miniature, for use in things such as hearing aids or watches, or they can be so large that they can power a car or truck. In their largest state, batteries can even be used as backup power supplies for computer data centers and buildings, although these are extremely large, rare, and expensive.

To give you an idea as to how popular batteries have become, consider that the battery industry generates somewhere around 48 billion USD per year in sales.

The origin of the word battery is somewhat unknown. Some trace it back to Benjamin Franklin, who used the word based on his military knowledge (batteries describe a group of weapons working together) to explain Leyden jars, although it’s unknown if this is the true origin of the word.

Batteries are very useful devices, but compared to other fuels, they are rather ineffective. They have a much lower specific energy (energy per unit mass) than other power sources such as gasoline. This can sometimes be offset by the significantly higher efficiency of batteries and electric motors as compared to combustion engines, but it is one of the main reasons batteries are not used more often to power larger devices.

The first battery may have appeared as early as 1800, when Italian physicist Alessandro Volta built a voltaic pile, the first electrochemical battery. However, he thought that batteries were inexhaustible and that they only died out because of corrosion. This was later proved to be false and that this irreversible discharge was actually an unavoidable consequence of batteries.

Batteries were first used primarily for experiments. The technology was rugged. Voltage varied and they could not provide a significant current for a sustained period of time. However, as with most things, the technology slowly advanced over time. This led to more widespread adaption and also to the energy-rich world we have today.

A battery-filled world

While they seem like simple devices, batteries are actually a feat of modern science. They combine many years of research about the workings of electricity and chemistry. While they are extremely widespread in today’s world, the technology is continuing to improve. With devices such as smartphones now nearly universal, the need to make batteries smaller and more powerful is greater than every before. This list describes the top ten most popular battery sizes now, but as the world advances and creates more and more devices, this list is sure to change dramatically. But for now, these ten are far and away the most popular battery sizes available.