Why aren't AA batteries square?

[Max Demian]

Yeah and stop the Frogs calling cells (or batteries) "piles" when only genuine layer batteries (like the original PP3s) are a pile of anything.

[James Wilkinson Sword]

Please learn the difference between everyday language and scientific language.

[James Wilkinson Sword]

Are you sure pile means pile?

[whisky-dave]

rote:

really need to teach the students what the most basic battery is and that is called a cell, they'll forget anyway as most do. This is important whn t alking about differnt 'battery technologies give you differnt voltages.

I know the diffence and it;s important to pass on these differncies to educ ate others. Such as when the studetn says why do you call yuor banana lead

4mm ?, they are all longer than 4mm's

[James Wilkinson Sword]

But in this group we can just call an AA a battery. As I said, this is everyday language in here.

I imagine it's the width not the length. What has this got to do with batteries and cells?

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

I had Beta machines, from when my father wanted the HiFi feature.

IIRC, I saw the feature demonstrated in a commercial (many times, as normal for commercials).

There was one where they had a trained dog. The owner wound say "play" and the dog would go over and press the play button. Then the owner would say "Betaskipscan". The dog would whine and get the remote.

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

I was talking about electric ones too.

Also, I was reminded of the (2007 ?) American fuel cans with the complicated spouts where it takes 3 hands to pour properly.

[James Wilkinson Sword]

then I don't understand what "started" has to do with anything. It's just as dangerous when running.

Dunno, they've always been quite simple here. A 1 gallon plastic box with a screw on tube.

[James Wilkinson Sword]

As I understand it, Betaskipscan would show the picture at full fast forward speed? How did the heads do this?

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

I'm not sure, but possibly it reads just a line or 2 of each frame, then somehow combines them into one image.

[whisky-dave]

rote:

we really need to teach the students what the most basic battery is and th at is called a cell, they'll forget anyway as most do. This is important wh n talking about differnt 'battery technologies give you differnt voltages.

educate others.

veryday language in here.

Some call them HP7 other MN1500, some don't understand that AA is a physica l size and NOT a voltage.

hey are all longer than 4mm's

tteries and cells? It;s what americans commently call our test leads they call the connectors on them banana plugs why ? because they plug into bananas ? The same when peole talk about electrical resistance most don't realise th at most things have impedence. For most it doesn't matter .

[whisky-dave]

I think the real reason was because AA was meant to replace SP7/HP7s so if they'd made the AA square they wouldn't be able to be used in the products that took SP7/HP7s

[James Wilkinson Sword]

Never heard of those, and Google just produces AAs which are also listed as being an SP7/HP7. Have you got a link to one?

[whisky-dave]

Historically, it is known as SP7 (Standard Power 7) or HP7 (High Power 7) in official documentation the United Kingdom, though it is colloquially known as a "double A battery".

[James Wilkinson Sword]

So AA didn't replace SP7, it's just another name, of which there are about 20.

[whisky-dave]

Which is why AA had to be the same shape and size and it didn't replace SP7 it mostly replaced HP7 .

[Max Demian]

Originally batteries had names:

Penlight battery, sometimes two cells in a cardboard case. The single cell version became U12, and HP7 for the "high power" (zinc chloride) type - which was rather irregular, as the standard power type wasn't called U7 - then AA.

Bijou (always two cells in a cardboard case) - I forget what number they had. 4 digits I think. Discontinued.

Baby Torch battery, which became the U11, or HP11 for the "high power" (zinc chloride) type, then C size.

Standard Torch battery, which became the U2, or HP2 for the "high power" (zinc chloride) type, then D size.

Flat Torch battery, with three cells side by side and brass prongs on the top as terminals. That had a 4-digit designation too. Still available.

Lantern Battery which became 996 and now back to Lantern.

And then there's the rectangular Bell battery, which originally had nice brass screw terminals on top.

Grid bias battery, with multiple sockets for wander plugs...

[whisky-dave]

Like Fred, George, Mary , you call them what you want to, mine just had ID's which indicated their size and voltage.

[Max Demian]

I suppose IRL you don't have a name; just an ID.

[whisky-dave]

No IRL I can use both for myself, but I can't tell one AA battery from another unless the label on them indicates a differnece.