battery

Definition: Device for providing or storing electrical power to provide energy for cameras with electronic circuits, for flash-units, motor-drives and other devices. * Batteries are designed for different types of use depending on specification e.g. voltage, current, internal resistance, capacity, characteristics of discharge, size and cost. Two main types: (1) Primary: e.g. lithium, carbon-zinc, alkaline manganese, mercury - cannot be recharged and must be thrown away when voltage supplied is too low to use. (2) Secondary: e.g. nickel cadmium, nickel hydride, lead acid - can be recharged i.e. they can store electricity therefore also known as accumulators. * Batteries often used in sets: connected in parallel to provide high current e.g. for flash units or connected in series to provide higher voltage e.g. for motor-drives.
Strictly battery
The correct sense of the word 'battery' in physics is: an assembly of cells of basic units generating electricity. But usage is now understandably confused: a car battery is correctly so called, because it is an assembly of individual units. But a camera battery is usually only a single cell. But sadly no-one seems to care.

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