So I understand that this corrodes to keep the hull of the boat from corrodong but why? And what causes the corrosion in the first place?
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Naturally occuring water like sea water or even fresh water has other things dissolved in it. These minerals turn water into a weak conductor or electrolyte solution. This allows the water to create an electrical current. So essentially the metal hull acts like a battery.
Electrons will be pulled one way along the current. Unfortunately that means electrons are pulled towards the dissolved stuff in the water and bond with it. This either pulls the atom away from the steel or changes now it behaves with the other atoms around it weakening the steel.
The sacrificial anode works by forcing the current to flow towards it like an outlet in your home. This way the anode is the only thing giving up atoms. And since the anode isn’t a part of the structure it can simply be discarded and replaced as needed.
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