[ELI5] Why are battery capacities expressed in Ah (Amperes-hour) and what does it mean, for example, a AA battery that is 2500 mAh?

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[ELI5] Why are battery capacities expressed in Ah (Amperes-hour) and what does it mean, for example, a AA battery that is 2500 mAh?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Most common household batteries have a set voltage, so the only thing that changes the power output is the current draw. We could easily label the capacity in Kwh or even J, but those are not really intuitive. mAh directly gives you useful information: if this battery is subjected to a draw of 2500 mA, then it will last for one hour of sustained use. Or, if it sees a draw of 25 mA (more likely) it will last for 100 hours. And since the voltage is set by the battery, you can always measure your current draw and figure out about how long your battery will last.

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