Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!dali.cs.montana.edu!rpi!wrf
From: wrf@mab.ecse.rpi.edu (Wm Randolph Franklin)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: reverse biased alkaline cell
Message-ID: <0CY%^}=@rpi.edu>
Date: 14 Oct 90 20:22:19 GMT
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Lines: 16


I left a penlight flashlight with 2 Energizer cells  in it turned on for
a month.  By then one  cell was reading +1v and  the other -1v.   Even a
month later the  latter  was still at -.4v.   This was verified by an EE
type in this dept.  The polarity was really reversed.

My guess was that one cell was smaller inside or had been used  a little
more, somehow.  Then the bigger cell forced some chemical reactions that
don't normally occur to occur.

Can anyone add details?  Thanks.
-- 
						   Wm. Randolph Franklin
Internet: wrf@ecse.rpi.edu (or @cs.rpi.edu)    Bitnet: Wrfrankl@Rpitsmts
Telephone: (518) 276-6077;  Telex: 6716050 RPI TROU; Fax: (518) 276-6261
Paper: ECSE Dept., 6026 JEC, Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst, Troy NY, 12180