Module 4
1. Module 4
1.8. Page 6
Module 4—Batteries and Balance
Lesson Summary
In Lesson 1 you considered the following questions:
- How much do you rely on batteries in your everyday life?
- What are the components of a voltaic cell?
At the beginning of this lesson you conducted an audit of the different types of commercial cells used in your house. Did your reliance on commercial cells surprise you or did you just take for granted that battery use is part of modern-day life? How were you impacted when you calculated the mass of chemical waste generated by spent commercial cells disposed of by your class or by your community?
In this lesson you learned about the parts of a voltaic cell and how these parts work together to convert chemical energy into electrical energy. You learned how to use the “Table of Selected Standard Electrode Potentials” (also used in Module 3) to predict the strongest oxidizing and reducing agents in the system. You used the information from this table to write the half-reactions that occur while the cell is functioning. You also completed a virtual investigation in which you explored the connections between half-cells and the observable changes that occur when a voltaic cell operates.