Battery Comparison Experiment

Science Experiment of the Month- December 2024

The battery aisle offers a plethora of options, with each brand claiming superiority in terms of strength, longevity, and overall performance. This month we are doing one of the most popular types of experiments: the product experiment, which is best?

Flashlights with different types of Batteries

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Foster Curiosity

The first step in any science experiment is the hook. What about this topic makes you say something along the lines of "What??" "Why would this do that?" "I wonder what would happen if I do this..."

Check out this kid's article about how we came to have several different types of batteries.

https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-are-batteries-different-sizes/

Watch some of these videos about how batteries work and why we use them

Why we like it:

This TED talk gives a whole compact talk about how the battery was invested, how it works, and how it has changed over time. All this information in under 5 minutes.

Why we like it:

With cell phones and many other devices being chargeable, the concept of a "battery" can get lost because many devices no longer require you to take out the battery. This video explains why not all batteries can be rechargeable.

Why we like it:

This video helps get us into the experiment, understanding how long a battery can last and how to find that information.

Why we like it:

CBS News investigated our very topic because people want to know the answer. Watch the video if you want to see how their results might compare to yours!

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Form a Question

What about the time a battery can last makes you curious?

Example Questions

• Do some battery brands last longer than other brands?

• Do batteries last longer in some electronics than others?

How to form your own question

Measurables

In this experiment, TIME is the only measurable variable we can test.

• Although each battery has a voltage, the voltage does not change with usage.

• Battery testers can tell you how much capacity is left but it is not a method to test which battery uses up its charge faster.

So how do you measure time?

1. The way we are recommending is to put the batteries into a device and see how long they can be turned on. In this option, you can test with low-use devices or high-use devices. (See Variables)

2. Long term, each battery pack says how long it is shelf stable for. You could measure how long they are shelf stable if you want to put several packs into a drawer and test them in 5-15 years. The package for Rayovac says it has a "12 year power guarantee in storage." Someone's got to do the test to be able to make the claim.

Variables

A variable is the part of the science experiment we are changing.

Note: a well-designed science experiment should have 1 variable. Once more than one thing is changed in an experiment it becomes unknown what exactly caused the difference. In this experiment, if you are testing different types of batteries everything about the electronics you are putting the battery in needs to be the same while the batteries are different. That way you can draw a strong conclusion about which battery lasted the longest. Although many flashlights may see the same, 1 battery may be able to last 12 hours in Brand-A flashlight while only 6 hours in Brand-B flashlight.

In this experiment, because we only have 1 measurable, there are many types of variables to choose from.

1. Batteries are made of different materials, those materials affect how good they are at keeping a charge.

   1. For double A batteries (AA batteries) there are 3 main types: NiMH Rechargeables, Alkalines, Lithium-ion

2. Companies promise different amounts of capacity in the same type of battery, even within companies.

   1. Some batteries have phrases such as "high energy" "Max" "power boost" and more. If some brands are cheaper, is it because "high energy" has less capacity than "Max"?

3. There are 2 categories of electronic LOW-POWER and HIGH-POWER.

   1. Low-power devices are ones that we change the batteries once or twice a year like the remote for the TV. High-power devices require us to change the battery more frequently, or many high-power devices have gone to rechargeable batteries that you either replace or in some cases have a charge like a phone charge to plug into the wall.

   2. We do not recommend testing low-power devices, those could take months to have a result.

   3. High-power electronics can be tested by finding the best or worst of a type of product like electric toothbrushes. Many are so power-sucking that they no longer even use regular batteries! The other option is to find the best or worst batteries for powering certain devices.

   4. If you have an awesome toy that always needs the battery replaced, why not find the best battery for that toy?

- What about the time a battery can last makes you curious? -

 Battery-Related VARIABLES

• Compare the three types of AA batteries: NiMH Rechargeables, Alkalines, Lithium-ion

  • "What is the difference between rechargeable, alkaline, and Lithium-ion batteries?"

• Test 1 brand of batteries that has different labels on it's AA batteries

  • Energizer is a good brand for this they have multiple types of AA batteries on the market

  • "What is the difference between 3 AA batteries in the same brand?"

• Test 4 brands of batteries

  • "Which battery lasts the longest?"

Product-Related Variables

• Test 1 brand of battery in multiple high-use devices

  • High-power flashlights, electric toothbrushes, and children's toys are all examples of devices known to drain batteries quickly. But which high-power flashlights or toothbrushes are the worst?

  • "What device uses a battery the fastest?"

• Test 4 brands in 1 type of high-power device

  • "Which battery should you use to power X electronic?"

• Low-power device vs high power device

  • "How much different is the battery life between a high-power flashlight and a low-power flashlight?"

Forming your question

Now that you have thought about what you are curious about, think about how you want to measure the difference. As you can see, depending on what you want to test, your question can sound very different! And don't be limited by our question suggestions, you can form your own questions from what we started here.

Take the curiosity and form it into a question to investigate!

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Make a Hypothesis

Now that you have created your questions, what do you think will happen?

Note: remember hypotheses are never right or wrong they are an informed guess. You should be able to give your hypotheses and explain to someone with a sentence why you think that. That reasoning can be as simple as I've seen it do that on our shelf.

Try this hypothesis-forming formula:

If_______, then_______

If I do this, then this will happen. This is a basic logic clause that is helpful to practice in science.

For example:

• If I test the three types of AA batteries on the same type of flashlight, then the lithium-ion battery will last the longest.

  • (Why do you think that? Because my phone battery is made of lithium-ion and it has a long battery life.)

• If I test 4 different types of electric toothbrushes with the same type of battery, then the Colgate toothbrush will last the longest.

  • (Why do you think that? Because Colgate is a good brand.)

• If I test 4 different brands of battery in the rocking rolling piano, then Duracell will last the longest.

  • (Why do you think that? Because the Duracell box says it lasts twice as long.)

Still struggling to figure out how to form your own?

In this experiment, the first part should include what the variable is you are testing, followed by what you are measuring. This formula not only tells someone reading the hypothesis what exactly the variable is, but also what types of results they should expect to see. In the first example, you can tell the subject is batteries, the variable is different types of batteries, and time is being measured. Even if the hypothesis is wrong, we expect the results to be about different times the batteries lastest.

Give it a try!

And remember Science Fair Experiments give us a chance to practice real science. It's still practice, so it's okay to struggle. As you practice doing science fair experiments, you will improve.

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Materials Needed

• Batteries: Different brands and/or types of batteries (e.g., alkaline, lithium, rechargeable NiMH, etc.)

• Device for testing (e.g., flashlight, remote control, or any battery-operated device)

• Stopwatch or timer

• Notebook for recording results

Methodology

1. After deciding you questions you want to answer, think about which materials you will be using and add to this list above.

2. Ensure that the device being tested is compatible with the selected batteries.

3. Insert each battery type into the device one at a time.

4. Turn on the device and start the timer to measure how long the device operates until the battery is depleted.

5. Record the time taken for each battery to run out.

6. Repeat the test for each battery type at least three times to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the results.

Data Collection

Compile the results in a table format for clarity. Include the following columns:

• Battery Type

• Brand

• Run Time (minutes)

• Notes (any observations during the test)

Analysis

After conducting the tests, analyze the results to determine:

• Which was the best or worst?

  • Whether you were testing types of batteries or devices, which worked best?

  • Was your hypothesis correct?

• Any noticeable differences in performance based on brand.

• Optional: Cost-effectiveness of each battery type based on performance.

Conclusion

Summarize the findings of the experiment, highlighting the best-performing battery type and any recommendations for consumers based on the results.

Future Recommendations

Consider further testing with different devices or under varying conditions (e.g., temperature, load) to gain a more comprehensive understanding of battery performance.

By following this structured approach, the experiment will provide valuable insights into which battery type truly deserves the title of the best performer.

Author's note:

I originally was going to test different battery types on flashlights. But in doing my research I came upon a question on the internet that had me VERY intrigued: Which products should you use a rechargeable battery on? A solid question, some high-power devices are so high-power, that you are better off buying a rechargeable battery for it. I came across this article https://paleblueearth.com/blogs/news/top-10-best-uses-for-rechargeable-batteries and learned the electric toothbrush uses a lot of battery so you are better off having a rechargeable battery for it. I found this interesting because I have an electric toothbrush that plugs into the wall to recharge it instead of regular AA batteries. This formed my question, just how high-powered are electric toothbrushes?

My experiment was a 2 part. First I wanted to find the worst more inefficient toothbrush, so I bought 3 children's toothbrushes, removed the battery they came with, and replaced them with the cheapest battery I found at the store. After running them for hours, I had my answer. THEN I wanted to know, what is the shortest use time I could get out of the toothbrush? In other words, which battery lasts the shortest amount of time? I was curious if the worst combination of brush and battery could get me 20 minutes of use or less.

Contrary to what this experiment may tell you, I care deeply about the environment and wanted to know the worst toothbrush, so I could tell everyone to stay away from that one. But I was also curious how poor of a product was a company willing to make for money? I had fun on this experiment, I hope you did too!