CELLS & Internal Resistance

Cells
A Cell is a source of Electrical Energy and hence we can obtain a current from it. An electric
current is made when a flow of electrons are passed through some medium. In Electronics, we
obtain an electric current when electrons flow through a conductor / wire. Below is the schematic
diagram of a IDEAL cell:

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Types of Cells
Cells are classified according to their ability to be recharged or not. A non – rechargeable cell is
referred to as a Primary Cell. Primary cells are made to be used once and then discarded.

Cells that can be recharged are referred to as a secondary cell. These cells are recharged by
passing current through the circuit in the opposite direction to the current during discharge.
Secondary cells come in two types:

 Dry Cell: The electrolyte is a paste.

 Wet Cell : The electrolyte is a liquid

Advantages and Disadvantages of Secondary Cells & Primary Cells

Type of Cell Advantage Disadvantage

Primary Cell 1. Cheaper to buy than
rechargeable cells
 Mercury Cell 2. Can be stored for long
 Alkaline Cell periods without use
 Lithium cell 3. Can be designed to have a
slow discharge rate (remote
controllers and smoke
detectors)
4. Disposable
Secondary Cell 1. Rechargeable. So it can be
used over and over again
 Nickel–cadmium 2. Lesser environmental impact
 Lithium Ion (Li-ion) [laptop] since cell is reusable
 Lead Acid [Car Battery] 3. Can handle large power
demands
1. Cannot be recharged
2. Used once and should be thrown
away upon depletion. This
negatively impacts the
environment as toxins inside the
cell are non recyclable
3. Maintenance necessary
1. High initial cost
2. Faster discharge rate than
primary cells
3. Recharging required

Potential Difference

This is the difference in voltages between two points in a circuit. This is also referred to as a
Voltage Drop.

Electro Motive Force (EMF)

This is the maximum voltage the cell can deliver.

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Difference between Emf and potential difference:

Emf Potential difference

1. It is the potential difference 1. It is the difference of the electrode
between two electrodes when no potentials of the two electrons two
current is flowing in the circuit. electrodes when the cell is under
operation.

2. It is the maximum voltage 2. It is always less than the

that the cell can deliver. maximum the cell can deliver.

3. It is responsible for the steady 3. It is not responsible for the steady

flow of current in the cell. flow of current in the cell.

Internal Resistance
No cell or battery is a true 100% efficient energy source. There will always be associated with a
cell some loss in energy (current) due to the materials from which the cell is made. We quantify
these losses in energy as Internal Resistance. We represent the internal resistance as a resistor
(RI ) in series with the power supply:

In Diagram B, the True Voltage (VT) is given by the formula:

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Example:

Step 1: Step 2:

Internal voltage drop: Find True Voltage

VRI = IT RInternal VT = VS - VRI

VRI = 100mA x 20 VT = 6 – 2 = 4.0V

VRI = 2000mV = 2.0V

Note
If we have a cell connected into a circuit and you are asked to calculate the true voltage, you
must take into account all the resistors and ALSO the Internal resistor for the cell.

Cells in series
When cells are arranged in series the following characteristics are always true

1. The current is unchanged. Therefore, if one cell is rated at 3A, the Current flowing
through all of the cells is 3A.
2. The voltage of each cell is added to arrive at the algebraic sum of the voltages.

If one cell is 1.5V and 100mA

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Example

VT = V1 + V2 + V3 + V4

VT = 1.5 + 1.5 + 1.5 + 1.5 = 6.0V

And current is unchanged:

IT = 100mA
Draw some cells here ->and try it for yourself:

Cells in Parallel
Cells connected in parallel behave in the opposite manner to cells connected in
series. The following characteristics are true for cells in parallel:

1. The total current for cells connected in parallel is the algebraic sum of each
cell current.
2. The voltage is unchanged

Example:

If one cell is 1.5V and 100mA

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Diagram A:

VT = V1 = V2 = V3 = V4
It = I1 + I2 + I3 + I4 = 100mA + 100mA +100mA +100mA = 400mA

What is the Voltage and Current from Diagram b?

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