So I finally saw it happen...

[beckdg]

You didn't learn what a battery is? Really?
You made it to adulthood without knowing that sparks can occur when a battery shorts out?

I don't believe that. Maybe you didn't pay attention that day, but batteris and energy are a part of basic grade school science.
Everyone learns this stuff.
I did.
Every adult I know is smart enough to realize there is danger in shorting any battery.


Whether you applied that knowledge is up to you.


I shouldn't have to modify my life because a small minority can't use common sense when using a simple battery.

somehow you're not grasping the idea that lighting a low wattage bulb with a potato doesn't translate well to basic battery safety.

and yes... these battery lessons you keep referring to... that's how they were taught in the schools i went to. and i'm only almost middle aged. the older folks may or may not have been taught anything about batteries at all.

 

[Bad Ninja]

Here
JPCase middle school in New Jersey
8th grade science

8th Grade Science / Batteries & Electric Circuits

Ignorance is no excuse.

 

[runamok]

On the bright side...he is now eligible for a Darwin Award.

I'll vote for him. Way back when I worked for Motorola you could check battery voltage on a portable from the bottom contacts. Then the lawsuit happened when a young sheriffs deputy burnt her "chest" by resting the walkie on a gold chain. Gold conducts well and Motorola re designed their battery.

 

[beckdg]

Here
JPCase middle school in New Jersey
8th grade science

8th Grade Science / Batteries & Electric Circuits

Ignorance is no excuse.

i did not go to school in NJ
i did not go to JPCase
i did not attend 8th grade this year

i'm probably not the only one that can make all 3 statements

ignorance to those facts is no excuse for insulting every other poster.

 

[Shotglass]

...I shouldn't have to modify my life because a small minority can't use common sense.....

we shouldn't...but we do...several times each day - (speed limits come to mind as one example)

 

[AndriaD]

Back in the days we bought VCRs to watch movies, not the time.....

My ex and I bought our first one so we could watch one show while taping another (guess who figured out the wiring arrangement for that... it certainly wasn't the ex!), and since at that time, we went out to the movies a LOT, we needed it to be able to start at a pre-set time... which you can't do, if you don't set the time.

I have to say, I really prefer our DVR.

Andria

 

[AndriaD]

{Moderated}

Yeah... as I said, I really had no idea what would happen if a battery's stored energy escaped at all once. However, I've never been silly enough to take that dare to stick my tongue to a battery post. I don't know! what would happen, but I'd say it's a safe bet I wouldn't like it. Just a niggling little feeling... It *is* electricity, after all...

Andria

 

[Robino1]

ENOUGH!

Attack the post, not the poster.

Please and thank you.

Next

 

[OlderNDirt]

You didn't learn what a battery is? Really?
You made it to adulthood without knowing that sparks can occur when a battery shorts out?

I don't believe that. Maybe you didn't pay attention that day, but batteris and energy are a part of basic grade school science.
Everyone learns this stuff.
I did.
Every adult I know is smart enough to realize there is danger in shorting any battery.


Whether you applied that knowledge is up to you.


I shouldn't have to modify my life because a small minority can't use common sense when using a simple battery.

First and foremost, you should have done a better job paying attention during "Humor 101", an ability everybody is born with, but many lose by the time they reach adulthood.

I'll go out on a limb and guess you are not familiar with me and paid no attention to my screen name. I wrongfully (I surmise) assumed my reference to slide rules provided a hint of what era I attended elementary and high school. When I attended college as a "non-traditional" student and took an algebra course, I went to the professor after the first class concerned with the level at which his course started and reminded him that the last time I took algebra, he wasn't born yet. The look on his face was priceless! So having provided the evidently pertinent information necessary to comprehend my previous post as well as this response.....

Nope! I have no recollection of any educational time being spent on what a battery is, let alone any time spent on dangers of a battery shorting out. But, then again, I sometimes have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast (That is an attempt at that humor factor previously referenced). About the only use a kid had for a battery back then was for a flashlight, but I do remember when transistor radios first came out. And before we knew it, calculators hit the market, but I was out of high school by then. I assume during high school chemistry class, there was some education involving the chemical reaction or composition of a battery, but I don't remember to what level let alone if that was a day I didn't pay enough attention.

Back then we kids grew up playing on jungle gyms, swings, merry-go-rounds, teeter-totters, and swimming in a creek or pond, none of which had warning labels or required class time instruction, and almost all of us survived to adulthood.

Now that I have taken this opportunity to vent a bit, I will just restate my brief intent on responding to your take on the early education of batteries and their safety. Not everybody on this board or on this planet had the same educational experiences. To wit, history class was much easier for me then for kids today (a final attempt at that humor factor previously referenced).

ETA: Sorry, Robino1. If this post is inappropriate I or you can delete it. A lot showed up here while composing!

 

[Zealous]

I was in 8th grade like 30 years so I have no idea if I learned about batteries or not.

That said, I am curious why so many in this thread seem to think it's reasonable to use the phrase common sense in relation to lithium batteries at all. These type of batteries are not commonly used so why would there be common knowledge about them within a general community of people. Only the select groups of people who use them would have the common understanding about them.

To me, it's obvious that people who haven't been exposed to something probably wouldn't have much knowledge about it. That's just common sense to me. But then i read threads like this & realize that my idea of common sense is apparently not as common as I thought it was (something I find most disturbing).

 

[beckdg]

These type of batteries are not commonly used so why would there be common knowledge about them within a general community of people. Only the select groups of people who use them would have the common understanding about them.

that's the problem. (why the debate is possible)

most people are carrying a lithium battery in their pockets all day, every day and just don't know it.

cell phones, laptops, small consumer rechargeable devices (mp3 players, blutooth ear buds, etc.), they all use lithium batteries these days.

but there's protection circuits and usb chargers for almost all of them. usually all we absolutely need to know to use these devices is to charge them when they're low on power.

given the stored energy and potential for disaster (regardless of the likelihood), manufacturers and retailers should put more effort into informing the consumer instead of relying on their just idiot proofing the circuitry. all the major players have had their devices turn into road flares because of the cells and circuits they've chosen to save a buck in the past. many have had major recalls on their devices as well. the first two that come to my mind are apple and dell laptops.

 

[Shotglass]

First and foremost, you should have done a better job paying attention during "Humor 101", an ability everybody is born with, but many lose by the time they reach adulthood.....

meh...humor and/or sarcasm rarely translate well from verbal to written communication

 

[Bad Ninja]

I was in 8th grade like 30 years so I have no idea if I learned about batteries or not.

That said, I am curious why so many in this thread seem to think it's reasonable to use the phrase common sense in relation to lithium batteries at all. These type of batteries are not commonly used so why would there be common knowledge about them within a general community of people. Only the select groups of people who use them would have the common understanding about them.

To me, it's obvious that people who haven't been exposed to something probably wouldn't have much knowledge about it. That's just common sense to me. But then i read threads like this & realize that my idea of common sense is apparently not as common as I thought it was (something I find most disturbing).

This applies to ALL batteries.
That's why they have warning labels. Even on Duracell aaa batteries.

The more powerful the battery, the bigger the discharge.
Pretty simple stuff.

 

[OlderNDirt]

meh...humor and/or sarcasm rarely translate well from verbal to written communication View attachment 424899

= strong indication of humor.

 

[jseah]

Maybe it wouldn't be all bad if every supplier, online and B&M's included one of the cheap cases with every battery purchase?

While it would literally cost them pennies, providing them with a cheap case is no guarantee that they would use them. I remember about 20 years or more ago, the state of California decided that there were too many cases of children finding a loaded firearm under someone's pillow, etc. and accidentally shooting themselves or someone else. So they passed a law that mandated that every handgun sold in California had to be sold with a trigger lock (why it was mandated for just handguns and not long guns as well makes no sense). So anyone purchasing a handgun had to also spend an addition $5 to $15 to buy a trigger lock. Did that reduce the number of accidental shootings? Not really. Just because you were required to buy it did not necessarily mean that you were going to use it.

 

[Zealous]

that's the problem. (why the debate is possible)

most people are carrying a lithium battery in their pockets all day, every day and just don't know it.

cell phones, laptops, small consumer rechargeable devices (mp3 players, blutooth ear buds, etc.), they all use lithium batteries these days.

but there's protection circuits and usb chargers for almost all of them. usually all we absolutely need to know to use these devices is to charge them when they're low on power.

This is a valid point. And I'm not saying that they're not dangerous simply because people don't know they can be dangerous. To be honest, I NEVER think about the fact that my laptop or phone have the same type battery as the ones I use in my mod. It's just never crossed my mind.

This applies to ALL batteries.
That's why they have warning labels. Even on Duracell aaa batteries.

The more powerful the battery, the bigger the discharge.
Pretty simple stuff.

It doesn't matter how simple you think it is. If someone doesn't think it's important enough to think about they won't think about it.


The point I make with my first post is that people who don't know things about batteries are not lacking in intelligence. They are lacking in education.

I personally am very grateful for everyone on this forum who has shared their knowledge of battery safety with this community because I have learned a lot from them. But there's a whole world of people outside ECF who know nothing about battery safety and those people aren't necessarily stupid or lacking in common sense. They are uneducated on the subject. Period.

 

[OlderNDirt]

While it would literally cost them pennies, providing them with a cheap case is no guarantee that they would use them. I remember about 20 years or more ago, the state of California decided that there were too many cases of children finding a loaded firearm under someone's pillow, etc. and accidentally shooting themselves or someone else. So they passed a law that mandated that every handgun sold in California had to be sold with a trigger lock (why it was mandated for just handguns and not long guns as well makes no sense). So anyone purchasing a handgun had to also spend an addition $5 to $15 to buy a trigger lock. Did that reduce the number of accidental shootings? Not really. Just because you were required to buy it did not necessarily mean that you were going to use it.

I totally agree. But there is a better chance that they will use a case if one is provided rather then not. Were I a seller and concerned at all about a lawsuit, this would go a long, long, long way in defense of my case.

 

[twgbonehead]

{Moderated}

Yeah... as I said, I really had no idea what would happen if a battery's stored energy escaped at all once. However, I've never been silly enough to take that dare to stick my tongue to a battery post. I don't know! what would happen, but I'd say it's a safe bet I wouldn't like it. Just a niggling little feeling... It *is* electricity, after all...

Andria

Andria,

Licking the top of a 9V battery to check whether it's good is a time-honored tradition!

(And yes, if it's a fresh battery it's not pleasant at all! Won't kill you, though!)

 

[AndriaD]

Andria,

Licking the top of a 9V battery to check whether it's good is a time-honored tradition!

(And yes, if it's a fresh battery it's not pleasant at all! Won't kill you, though!)

Yeah... I think I'll pass on that. I've had the extremely unpleasant experience many times of accidentally touching one of the prongs on the plug as it goes into the socket... horrible feeling. I'd have to say that even if they're not fatal, Tazers must surely fall into the "cruel and inhumane" category.

Andria

 

[jseah]

I'd have to say that even if they're not fatal, Tazers must surely fall into the "cruel and inhumane" category.

Andria

That's why every law enforcement officer who is certified to carry and use a Tazer is required to be hit by one, just so they can feel and understand what it is like.