
The AA alkaline is the most
common disposable battery in the world
Modern Batteries:
Today there are more
than 50 different variations of batteries. There about 10 different
kinds of primary batteries, and 5 types of rechargeable batteries.
Primary Batteries
- this type of battery is ready with electrical charge as soon
as it is constructed
Secondary Batteries
- this type of battery must be charged after it is constructed
Wet Cell - The wet cell battery uses a liquid electrolyte.
The electrolyte immerses the other parts of the cell. A car battery
is a wet cell, you can hear the liquid slosh around when it is
shaken. These batteries are prone to spilling. The early Edison
batteries used thick glass housing to hold the potassium hydroxide
electrolyte.
Dry Cell - The
dry cell uses a moist paste as the electrolyte. This battery can
be inverted without risk of spilling. The gel-cell battery was
developed to reduce the danger of acid spilling from the lead
acid battery.
1859 - Gaston Plante of France invents the most commonly used
large battery today: the lead acid battery.

The Lithium Ion Battery (Li-ion) is the most popular battery for
mobile phones and cameras due to a good energy density (power
stored vs. weight)