Week 22: Big Daddy Battery Backup

"There's like a Baby [battery backup], and then there's a Mommy [battery backup], and then there's a big fat Daddy of a [battery backup], and that's the one you want." --JG, JR

<----- This is Big Daddy.

Big Daddy lives under my sister's bed (I share a room with her) and he provides us comfort. The two bottom plugs shown here are our laptop plugs. As you can see, our laptops are protected from any power surges because they are plugged at the bottom row.

We usually use the top row because Big Daddy would then not only provide us with much needed protection from power surges but also provide us with battery power in case of a power outage, thus shielding us from the horrors of the "OMG-I-CAN'T-BELIEVE-I-WAS-DUMB-ENOUGH-TO-TYPE-UP-MY-ENTIRE-'IOLANI-PAPER-THE-NIGHT-BEFORE-AND-NOW-THERE'S-NO-POWER-AND-I-HAVE-CLASS-FIRST-PERIOD-TOMORROW-WHAT-AM-I-GOING-TO-DO-I-CAN'T-SHOW-UP-TO-SCHOOL-WITHOUT-A-PAPER-TO-TURN-IN-I-AM-GOING-TO-DIE" scenario.

Big Daddy is the perfect example of electric potential, or voltage. Electric potential is the electric potential energy divided by the test charge. It is a reflection of the ability of electric fields to create electrci potential energy.

 

Big Daddy has an electric potential of 120 volts, as shown here. ------>

This means that it can be very dangerous (see the word CAUTION there in big letters?). And this is exactly why I had to turn it off and take off all the plugs before I felt safe enough to turn it over and take a picture.

To minimize risks to electric shock, plugs are always covered with an insulator, that is, an object where electrons do not flow freely; it can't conduct charge. It covers the metal pins that do conduct electricity. This way, the hands, when holding the plug, does not come into contact with the pins. If they do, however, a process called conduction would occur, in which electric charge would flow from the pins to the hands, causing an electric shock. Very dangerous.

And, voila, the Physics of Big Daddy batter backup.