Which of the following statements best describes a car battery as it is being recharged?
Select one:
It is an electrochemical cell.
It is an example of chemical energy being converted into electrical energy.
It is an example of a system changing to a state with lower potential energy
It is an electrolytic cell.
6 years ago
Answered By Eric C
Let's look at the options one at a time:
A) An electrochemical cell is capable of generating electricity through chemical reactions as well as using electrical energy to produce chemical reactions. This fits the property of the car battery being capable of both producing a current and storing the energy as chemical potential energy. However, this is a vague description of what is occuring in this scenario and does not describe the recharging of the battery.
B) In the context of the question, electricity is being stored into the battery. This is typically done by applying electrical energy in the reverse direction of the current flow produced by the cell(s). This means that the potential energy is increasing in the form of chemical energy. Therefore, chemical energy is not being converted into electricity but rather the reverse has occured during recharge.
C) As stated in the explanation of B, the potential energy is increasing as the car battery is recharged, therefore the system is changing to a state of HIGHER potential energy.
D) An electrolytic cell is a system that uses the application of a current to produce non-spontaneous electrolytic reactions. The products of the electrolytic cell have a higher potential than the reactants. This describes both the system and what is happening to the system, making D more descriptive than A.
(TL;DR) D describes both the system and the reaction that is occuring in the context of the problem.
6 years ago
Answered By Eric C
Let's look at the options one at a time:
A) An electrochemical cell is capable of generating electricity through chemical reactions as well as using electrical energy to produce chemical reactions. This fits the property of the car battery being capable of both producing a current and storing the energy as chemical potential energy. However, this is a vague description of what is occuring in this scenario and does not describe the recharging of the battery.
B) In the context of the question, electricity is being stored into the battery. This is typically done by applying electrical energy in the reverse direction of the current flow produced by the cell(s). This means that the potential energy is increasing in the form of chemical energy. Therefore, chemical energy is not being converted into electricity but rather the reverse has occured during recharge.
C) As stated in the explanation of B, the potential energy is increasing as the car battery is recharged, therefore the system is changing to a state of HIGHER potential energy.
D) An electrolytic cell is a system that uses the application of a current to produce non-spontaneous electrolytic reactions. The products of the electrolytic cell have a higher potential than the reactants. This describes both the system and what is happening to the system, making D more descriptive than A.
(TL;DR) D describes both the system and the reaction that is occuring in the context of the problem.