A simple bounce test for lively versus dying batteries

This video shows how a mechanical “bounce test” can reveal how much electrical charge remains in an ordinary alkaline AA battery:

Chemistry World magazine explains: “Inspired by a YouTube video, scientists in the US have confirmed that a simple bounce test can be used as a technique to indicate charge in a battery… A team led by Daniel Steingart [pictured here] of Princeton University have correlated the coefficient of restitution (COR), a measure of bounce, with batteries at various charges and determined their charge to a similar degree of accuracy as in situ energy-dispersive x-ray diffraction (EDXRD).”

Steingart’s team published a study in which they explain the details.