AAA Batteries
The AAA battery is commonly used in small electronic devices that the manufacturers strive to make as petite and easy to carry around as possible, e.g. MP3 players and digital cameras. The AAA battery is no longer than 44.5 millimetres and only 10.5 millimetres in diameter. This can be compared to the common AA battery which is 50 millimetres long and have a diameter of 14.2 millimetres. The AAA battery weighs 11.5 grams while the AA battery weighs 23 grams.
The output of an AAA battery is the same as the output of the more common AA battery, but the AAA battery will not last as long as the bigger AA battery.
The alkaline AA and AAA batteries have an output of 1.5 volts and 900-1,155 mA·h (milliampere hours). 900-1,155 mA·h is equal to 3240-4158 coulombs. The modern nickel metal hydride (commonly abbreviated NiMH) AA and AAA battery will instead be capable of storing around 800 mA·h and have an output of 1.2 volts.
The AAA battery is pronounced “triple a battery” and the battery is also known as “micro battery”. It is classified as an LR03 battery according to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and a 24A battery according to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The AAA battery is also classified as R03, AM4, MN2400, HP16 and UM4.
So, how does the AAA battery work? Just like the AA battery, the AAA battery is a dry cell alkaline battery. There are also other forms of AA and AAA batteries to be found, but they are less common than the dry cell alkaline variant. Examples of such batteries are the lithium AA and AAA battery.
Inside the AAA battery, you will find chemicals that can produce electrons. The chemicals are enclosed by a metallic container. If you take a look at your AAA battery, you can see that it has two terminals: a positive terminal and a negative terminal. The terminals are located at different ends of the AAA battery and the positive terminal is typically labelled with a + and the negative terminal with a -.
In the AAA battery, electrons will form and gather on the negative terminal. When you connect the negative terminal to the positive terminal, the electrons will travel through the wire and reach the other terminal. (Never connect the two terminals directly to each other, since it will empty an AAA battery very rapidly. In batteries much larger than the AAA battery it can even be dangerous to connect the two terminals in this manner.)
Instead of connecting the two terminals directly to each other, we take advantage of the fact that the electrons want to travel and we force them to travel via an electronic device, such as a digital camera or an MP3 player. As they travel, they will power up the electronic device and make it possible for us to take pictures or listen to music.
So, why are electrons forming inside the AAA battery? The electrons are the result of a chemical reaction that takes place in the battery. The very first form of battery used zinc, silver and paper soaked in saltwater to produce a chemical reaction. Today several other compounds are used as well and there exists several different types of AAA batteries.
The chemical reaction in an AAA battery will only take place as long as electrons can travel from the negative terminal to the positive terminal. This is why you can put your AAA battery in a drawer and pick it up 12 months later and find that it is still capable of powering your digital camera or your MP3 player.
