Made by stacking alternating layers of zinc, salt water soaked blotting paper, and silver the first battery was invented in 1800. We have come a long way since that time and today there are many types of batteries and even more uses for them. A little can full of chemicals that produce electrons, a battery has two terminals one is positive and one negative that when placed in a slot connected by a wire causes the chemical reaction that makes the batteries resistance thus making your radio, flashlight or the like work. In recent history the two most common batteries are the inexpensive AA, C and D dry-cell batteries where zinc-carbon chemistry is used with an acidic paste as an electrolyte and this type is known as the standard carbon battery. Duracell and Energizer use zinc and manganese-oxide electrodes and the electrolyte are alkaline and are your common alkaline battery. For a long time these batteries have been used in everything from our alarm clock to our flashlight. Lithium batteries come in two basic types, the lithium-iodide battery has a long life and is mostly used in pacemakers and hearing aids and the lithium-ion battery which is a rechargeable battery found in more of the high end products such as laptops and cell phones. These types are more expensive and not available for items that would not make them cost effective. With rechargeable type batteries you can get a charger that will charge overnight or do a quick charge in a couple of hours. You will usually want to discharge them completely as they may have a memory that will not recognize the space before the charge point.

Among common rechargeable batteries that can be purchased are the lead-acid battery and the nickel-cadmium battery though at a slightly higher price you can also get a nickel-metal hydride battery and it may be a better buy because it does not suffer a memory effect that will cause batteries to lose charging capacity. Another lightweight rechargeable is the zinc-air battery and in the zinc category you can also find one used in hearing aids the zinc-mercury oxide battery as well as the silver-zinc battery used in aeronautics. Last but not forgotten is the car battery which is a type of rechargeable battery that supplies energy to our automobiles. Connecting six cells in series this starter battery provides 12-volts and is used for ignition, starting and the lighting in our vehicles. These batteries use a lot of their energy to start the vehicle and once it is started the engines work will cause the battery to recharge. Moving into the future we have what is known as the traction battery which is a deep cycle battery that was invented for electric vehicles such as the golf cart or fork lift. With the push for more hybrid vehicles it is sure to be improved on for a better staying power and a cheaper price. Although it is rechargeable it is not very practical and technology is certain to make sure this battery has its day.