Question

The car's 12 V battery is composed of six individual 2 V cells. The individual cells are assembled together within the battery's plastic housing and connected together in a chain--the positive voltage terminal of one cell connects to the negative voltage terminal of the next cell. If one of the cells in this chain were reversed, the voltage of the complete battery would be?

I know the answer is 8 V, but how do you get that answer?

Answer 1

Answer 2

Calculation:

1. Normally, six 2 V cells are connected in series (positive to negative), so their voltages add up:

   $$2V+2V+2V+2V+2V+2V=12V$$

2. If one cell is reversed, it subtracts its voltage instead of adding:

   $$2V+2V+2V+2V+2V-2V=8V$$

The reversed cell cancels out one of the other cells, reducing the total voltage by 4 V (2 V lost from the reversed cell and 2 V not added from its neighbor). Thus, the battery outputs 8 V.

Answer is :
If one cell is reversed in a 6-cell series battery, the total voltage drops from   8 V.