P1a.9.

6 Rechargeable battery / Name:

In this work you investigate how the Voltage of a rechargeable cell changes with time as the cell discharges
through a filament lamp.

Apparatus
rechargeable cell
cell holder
2 x crocodile clips
data logger with voltage adaptor
connecting wire

Set up
Arrange the circuit below. You are simply shorting out the cell BUT the cell have enough resistance that it
should take about 20-30 minutes to fully discharge.

1. Take a photograph if possible of the actual circuit you are using and insert above.
Remember the data logger is used as a voltmeter.

2. (a) How would your circuit change if you were trying to find the capacity of the battery?

current sensor + data logger in

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series with cell to find how current

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I varies with time t
(b) What calculations would you perform?

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capacity Q[Ah] = I[A] x t[h]
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1
Carrying out
1. Turn on the data logger.
Arrange the data logger so that it takes readings every 30 sec or so.

2. Set the axes of the graph on the data logger to show Time and Voltage.

3. Start the data logger.

4. Stop the data logger when the battery has discharged.

Print out OR sketch the graph below.
V is
approximately
constant and
then falls quite
suddenly

5. If possible transfer your data to a USB memory stick

Presenting Results
1. Prepare a table with your data or data downloaded from your teacher. Make sure the columns have the
correct name of the quantity and its unit.

2. Prepare a graph based on your results. It is better if you use ICT.

Make sure that your graph has the following:
• The independent variable on the x-axis
• The dependent variable on the y-axis
• A title
• Appropriate scales on each axis
• Labels for each axis (name of variable presented)
• Units of the quantities used
• Carefully plotted points
• A line or curve of best fit
(You can plot the points using a computer and draw the best fit curve / line by hand.)

2
Analysis
Name the independent variable …………………………………………………………………………
1.
time
2. Name the dependent variable ……………………………………………………………………………
voltage
3. Name your control variables and describe how you kept them constant.
Name as many as possible.

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resistance of wires…constant
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temperature!?
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starting voltage of cells…fully

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charged
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4. Results are valid when you use the correct method to measure the quantity you want.
How did you make sure your results are valid?

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control variables
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accurate measurement of V and t by
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datalogger
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5. Results are reliable when repeated experiments give similar results.

What could you do to make sure your results are reliable?
(Remember, you are not the only one doing all the experiments!)
compare data with other groups
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repeat with another fully charged
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identical cell
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increase sampling rate to collect even

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6. Which pointsmore data

on your graph (if any) do you think are anomalous?

…in all above data must be

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concordant
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3
7. Describe in as much detail as possible the pattern you get from your data and / or your graph.

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V approx. constant at beginning
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rippling + 0.02V
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finally drops quite sharply at a
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decreasing rate
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