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If a battery looks like this: enter image description here And a battery series looks like this: enter image description here

How is it possible for electrons to go from the positive side of one battery to the negative side of another battery and then keep on going; without stopping?

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    \$\begingroup\$ electrons actually go the other way, neg to pos... \$\endgroup\$
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Sep 21, 2018 at 22:24
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    \$\begingroup\$ If you can imagine them flowing in the first diagram (a single cell), then why would having two suddenly stop flow? \$\endgroup\$
    – Bort
    Commented Sep 21, 2018 at 22:24
  • \$\begingroup\$ @SolarMike We don't need to confuse OP who is clearly very confused with conventional and non-conventional current flow. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Sep 21, 2018 at 22:31
  • \$\begingroup\$ I think this is more of a question about how battery chemistries work, mediated by wires between them. Two completely different processes, coupled. Battery chemistry still isn't always completely understood, in fact, and includes some newly discovered tunneling effects that aren't understood with the usual reaction activation energy barrier. Instead, some reactants (or their ions) directly tunnel across the activation barrier instead of climbing over it. I gather it is a quantum mechanical effect. Understanding the detailed process as a multi-battery system with wire can be quite interesting. \$\endgroup\$
    – jonk
    Commented Sep 21, 2018 at 22:49
  • \$\begingroup\$ Cascading external cells is no different than the 6x 2V cells cascaded in a 12V battery except these are identical and always conduct the same series current. It becomes a major problem the cells are mismatched for capacity or age or state of discharge \$\endgroup\$
    – D.A.S.
    Commented Sep 22, 2018 at 0:05

1 Answer 1

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When electrons arrive at the cathode terminal of a battery, it doesn't matter whether they came from another battery or from some other kind of circuit element. All electrons are indistinguishable.

They contribute to the chemical reaction in the battery just the same, wherever they come from.

Similarly, excess electrons are generated at the anode terminal, and it makes no difference whether the wire connected to that terminal leads to another battery or another kind of circuit element.

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