How did Toms Solar Batteries work?
As one might guess, the book didn’t say a word about how the solar batteries worked. All we know is that they get their electrical charge from a brief exposure to high-intensity sunlight. Somehow, that brief exposure to sunlight causes a violent change in the electrical states of the battery — so much so that, if that charge is held, it can take years to return to a normal, uncharged state. What problems did Tom Swift have to overcome in creating his Solar Batteries? The first problem Tom Swift had in creating his solar battery was in getting the battery to store electricity efficiently: Soon the altimeter needle was approaching the 85,000-feet mark againTom’s new solar battery had been mounted in an aperture in the dome for exposure to the rays of the sun. At high altitudes the rays were more powerful than in the denser air blanket surrounding the earth. Wires from the battery were connected to a voltmeter and other electrical instruments. When the young inventor returned to the flig
