An ampere hour is a unit of electric charge multiplied by the time it flows. This is often a theoretical concept, because many applications draw power intermittently. Calculating battery milliampere hours involves dividing the ampere hours by 1,000. But does this really matter in the greater order of things. Why all the fuss?
How Does Calculating Battery Milliampere Hours Matter?
Well in the first instance batteries power almost all our portable electrical devices. Where would we be without our smartwatches, smartphones, and electric cars do you wonder? That’s why it makes sense to ask, how long will that battery last before I must recharge it?
Battery manufacturers should provide that information on individual battery cases, making manually calculating battery milliampere hours unnecessary. However, the fine print is often so small we’d need a browser to find out on Google. It should, after all be a primary driver of an intelligent battery purchasing decision.
A Quick Detour into Electric Current in Batteries
The electricity we use arises from electrons flowing through our devices. This power has to come from somewhere, and this case either comes from batteries, or from the utility grid. We quantify those electrons as the number of coulombs flowing through the system.
One ampere of current = one coulomb = 6,240,000,000,000,000,000 electrons, give or take a couple billion. From this, it follows a battery with a higher milliampere rating can do more work between recharges, which is a great thing.
Can I Calculate Battery Life from Milliampere Hours?
Would that life was so simple! Sure, battery design influences battery life. But then so does user behavior and that means what you and we do. We should not connect devices that demand more power than a battery can give. Calculating battery milliampere hours can be the key to avoiding this mistake.
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