Duracell Battery Science Fair Projects

Tips for Battery Science Fair Projects

When conducting experiments with batteries you need to pay attention to the temperature of your test environment. Batteries are rating based on the temperature range in which they function the best in. You will find that extremely cold temperatures and extremely hot temperatures will impact the performance of a batter.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this experiment was to determine which brand of secondary batteries has the longest electrical burn time in extreme temperatures, (like those of Mars).

I became interested in this idea because I am a skier and am aware that some skiing resorts have remote sensors on top of the mountain and wonder how the batteries cope with that.

The information gained from this experiment could help mountain climbers, construction workers, people who live in the Arctic, or any one who lives in unusually cold climate to know what brand of secondary batteries to buy for any of their battery required appliances such as flashlight, toys, electronics, etc.

HYPOTHESIS

My hypothesis was that Duracell would have the longest electrical burn time in extreme temperatures.

I based my hypothesis on a past study by Rachael Lessard, a 7th grade researcher, who said that Duracell puts out the most voltage the longest in extremely cold temperatures.

EXPERIMENT DESIGN

The constants in this study were:
* The chemistry of the battery
* Voltage of batteries
* Time each battery was charged
* Charger
* Devise used to drain the batteries
* Same batteries for each trial

The manipulated variable was the extreme temperature.

The responding variable was the battery’s output.

To measure the responding variable I timed the life of the battery using an electronic clock.

MATERIALS

PROCEDURES

1. Put on Safety Equipment
2. Label three Ziploc bags for each brand of batteries
3. Put four of each brand of battery into the Ziploc bag with their brand name on it
4. Label three more with each brand and then write “done”
5. Place four Duracell batteries into the battery charger
6. Plug the charger into a wall outlet
7. Charge Duracell batteries for 1hour
8. After the batteries are finished charging, place them into the plastic bag with the word “Duracell” and “Done” on it
9.Repeat steps3-9 with the remaining 2 brands of batteries
10.Place 5pounds of dry ice into the ice chest
11. Place one Duracell battery into the battery holder.
12.Set the clock to 12:00
13.Hook the alligator clips onto the clock
14.Place the battery, (which is in the battery holder) into the ice chest and onto the dry ice
15.Place lid onto the ice chest but do not put it on tight
16.Wait for the light bulbs to go out and the clock to stop
17.Record the time on the clock
18. Unhook the alligator clips from the clock
19. Repeat steps 13-20 for the remaining brands of batteries and three more trials
20. Compare results

RESULTS

The original purpose of this experiment was to determine which brand of secondary batteries has the longest electrical burn time in extreme temperatures, (like those of Mars).

The results of the experiment were that Sanyo had the longest burn time in dry ice with an average of 37 minutes. Ray-o-Vac came in second with an average of 21 minutes. Duracell came in last with an average burn time of only 12.5 minutes.

Sanyo also came in first in room temperature with an average burn time of 247 minutes. Ray-o-Vac came in second with an average burn time of 245 minutes. Duracell came in last again with a burn time average in room temperature of only 210 minutes.

CONCLUSION

My hypothesis was that Duracell would have the longest burn time in extreme temperatures.

The results indicate that this hypothesis should be rejected because Sanyo had the longest electrical burn time.

Because of the results of this experiment, I wonder if the batteries would perform similarly at even colder temperatures, like liquid nitrogen. I also wonder how the batteries would operate in really warm temperatures. Another thing I wonder is how secondary nickel cadmium or alkaline batteries would perform. The last thing that I wonder is how primary batteries would work in these temperatures.

If I were to conduct this project again I would conduct more trials. I also would use a wider variety of batteries. Another thing I would change would be to compare the chemistry type of the battery. 3rd party contributor