Battery knowledge · Units and electrical basics
Polarity
Which terminal is positive and which negative. Connecting a cell or charger the wrong way round, reverse polarity, drives current backwards through it and can destroy the cell, the charger or both within seconds.
- Also called
- reverse polarity
Example
Units and electrical basics: an example situation
10 A for 30 min transfers 5 Ah. At constant 3.6 V this is 18 Wh; varying voltage requires integration.
Read Polarity alongside Cell reversal in this context. A weak cell in a series string being driven below zero volts by its neighbours as the string is discharged past the weak cell’s empty point. It causes rapid, permanent damage, and preventing it is one reason a BMS monitors every cell.
Use in Lemonergy
Use consistent units and cell/pack basis.
This is a reference concept. No executable Lemonergy block has been verified for this term.
References & further reading
Further reading on this topic
These sources provide broader context; they are not presented as citations for every statement in this entry.
- The International System of Units (SI), 9th edition
Bureau International des Poids et Mesures · 2026
Topic background · Definitions of SI units and coherent derived units; 2026 revision.