The conversation between human and AI assistant.
Is there any circumstance in which the measured potential difference between the terminals of a battery exceeds the open circuit emf of the battery?
That makes sense. Can you explain why this happens in simpler terms?
Of course. The battery has some resistance inside it, and when you connect a load outside it, there will be some additional resistance in the circuit. This can cause a voltage drop across the internal resistance of the battery, reducing the measured potential difference across the battery terminals. At the same time, the load resistance can cause a voltage drop as well, but since it is higher than the internal resistance of the battery, the measured potential difference across the load can be greater than the open circuit EMF of the battery.