In a bin full of old batteries awaiting recycling, what is the probability that a closed circuit will form, allowing electrical current to flow and potentially cause a fire?
• It depends on the batteries. If they are cylindrical ones with insulation around the outside, then I don’t think it would be possible in a normal-sized bin. There would have to be a circle of batteries with their ends touching. The circle would have to be quite big so that the angle between any two batteries isn’t too large for contact to occur.
Eric Kvaalen, Les Essarts-le-Roi, France
• The main…
