Physics Battery Concept

[sanguinee]

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In the TPR Science workbook, it said the power supplied by the battery = total power consumed by the resistor. Could someone better explain this? I assumed the power supplied by a battery would be higher if there was a lower resistance, at a constant voltage - so a battery with higher power has a lower resistance. I guess I'm confusing this with terminal voltage.

 

[Cawolf]

I think you may be confusing EMF (voltage) with power - these are separate concepts.

The cell has a potential difference across it's terminals, and the circuit is between the terminals.

In a simple, ideal circuit - there is one resistor and a wire that has no resistance. When circuit items are in series, they all have the same current - and each "take a piece" of the cell voltage.

In this example, there is only one circuit item with resistance - the resistor. Therefore the electrical potential is 100% before it reaches the resistor and 0% after. The resistor "consumed" the total voltage of the cell.

If you are referring to the current, then the concept also applies. All circuit items have the same current, but the resistance and cell potential are constant - so the current (I = V/R) is inversely proportional to the resistance of the resistor.