Batteries are a paradox to those of us who don’t completely understand the way they work. They’re both simple and complex, capturing energy in a small device to power-up our devices. A battery is two or more electrochemical cells which store chemical energy, thus making it available as electrical energy.

Some more common and advanced batteries use only one cell to operate.Some of the more common cell types include galvanic cells, fuel cells, flow cells, electrolytic cells, and voltaic piles. Though archeologists have unearthed batteries from ancient times, Alessandro Volta is credited with creating the first modern battery in 1800.

Since then, batteries of all shapes and sizes have been used. Today’s batteries can be small, powerful, rechargeable, and long-lasting. Using batteries has proven to be an effective way to cut back on energy costs and pollution, and are all-around more convenient than using an electrical outlet.

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The prices of crude oil act as any other commodity in the world, with price swings occurring whenever there is a shortage or oversupply. The price cycle of crude oil can extend over a very long period of time depending on the ever-increasing demand for oil, as well as oil supply produced by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and non-OPEC oil supply companies.

The history of oil prices shows that the petroleum industry has been heavily regulated in terms of production and price control, especially in the United States, and throughout the duration of the 20th century, into the 21st.

Before WWII, there was an oversupply of crude oil. This was put to the test when oil was discovered in Texas in the 1930s, and the major oil companies were working together to keep the price up. WWII taught the government the importance of having a safe oil supply. In 1933, Americans paid almost $300,000 to Saudi Arabia’s King Ibn Saud for an oil concession. (more…)

Steel, aluminum, and other types of metal are very common materials found across the globe. Every year they’re produced in vast quantities and used in multiple applications. The usefulness of metal was discovered thousands of years ago. And since then, technology has combined metals, making them stronger and more reliable than ever.Longevity, malleability, conductivity, and strength are the reasons they have been used over the years to provide us with many of the goods we use today. Various metals can be found in cars, computers, buildings, utensils, etc. Metals can remain viable products, even decades after they’re discarded.

Metals can be recycled indefinitely without losing any of their properties over time. One of the most recycled metals is aluminum. Like most metals we use, aluminum is an ore. The bauxite, a reddish clay-like ore, rich in aluminum compounds, is mined for the metal. The tricky thing about processing the aluminum is that it only exists in combination with other elements, usually oxygen.

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