Batteries can be broadly divided into two – primary and secondary.
Primary batteries are single-use batteries – that are they can be used only once. After that, they should be discarded. They cannot be recharged. Quite a few non-rechargeable batteries are used in our daily life. This includes batteries used in toys, radios, remote controls, flashlights, clocks etc.
Those batteries that can be recharged and reused are called secondary batteries. Through electric current, these batteries can be recharged.
Secondary batteries can be seen in many devices including cell-phones, MP3 players etc.
Yet another example can be seen in cars and trucks. Did you know that there is a lead-acid battery that works every time we start a car? This is how the car gets energy to run the lights and radio when the engine is not running. The battery in the car is recharged while we drive.
Besides lead-acid, there are other batteries that can be recharged. This includes the nickel-cadmium battery, lithium-ion battery, nickel-metal hydride batteries etc.
