Energizer Versus Duracell

Having a sufficient number of batteries in our homes is another one of life's necessities in this electronic age, but have you ever wondered if the Energizer "bunny" really can outperform the Duracell "copper top" or vice versa. Recently my son had to complete a science fair project for his 5^th grade science class so he decided that it would be a a good idea to try and determine once and for all if our household should adopt the Energizer "bunny" or rely on the Duracell "copper top" to meet our increasing demand for operating the electronic gadgetry that abounds in our home.

Since I recognized the opportunity for some male bonding as well as the chance to promote scientific research, we put our heads together to determine how we might conduct this experiment. Amazingly, it took very little effort in creative thinking to come up with the idea for a suitable experiment that would measure the difference between an Energizer and a Duracell. We would purchase two identical remote control cars and outfit one with a set of Duracell AA batteries as well as the 9 volt battery necessary for the controller and outfit the other vehicle with a set of Energizer batteries and then determine which would power our remote control vehicles the longest. We presented our science experiment idea with substantial jubilation to his mother. We seriously explained that in the interests of scientific research we would have to visit the local toy store and acquire two remote control vehicles for a school science project. While my wife had a bit of a difficult time understanding why we would have to make such an expenditure, she approved based solely on the fact this was a school requirement and it was in the interests of science.

Our grand experiment to solve the Energizer versus the Duracell conundrum was approached with significant enthusiasm as we purchased our remote control vehicles, installed the Duracell batteries in one and the Energizer batteries in the other and readied ourselves for the task of racing and recording the start and stop times for each of our vehicles. With paper, pencils, vehicles and the enthusiasm of two kids with new toys we began this exploration into the unknown. It was after the first two hours of racing that we began to take notice of the "law of unintended consequences". While we were tiring of our experiment, both the Duracell and the Energizer had significant energy left. It was only after 4 hours and 17 minutes that the efficiency of the Energizer battery began to fade and at the 4 hour and 19 minute mark the vehicle would no longer move. The Duracell continued to operate for an additional 3 minutes and 27 seconds before it refused to respond to the commands of the controller. Interestingly, both the Energizer and the Duracell 9 volt batteries retained power according to voltmeter readings. It as at that point that we decided to limit our test to just the Energizer and Duracell AA batteries.

Fatigued, but pleased that we had finally determined that the Duracell was a better battery than the Energizer, we presented the data to my wife who smiled knowingly and stated that we would have to conduct the test again to determine if we could replicate our discovery before the test could be scientifically validated. Our somewhat forlorn looks were met with her explanation of how a single test did not validate our experiment. She also attempted to to explain the concept of how the 3 minute and 27 second better performance by the Duracell might not be statistically significant and she discussed other variables that might impact on our experiment.

Reluctantly, we agreed that a second Energizer versus Duracell challenge was probably necessary and we would undertake that phase of our experiment the following day. With significantly less enthusiasm for the experiment, we started early the next day with new batteries and after more than 4 hours of racing the Energizer battery outperformed the Duracell by almost the same margin as the Duracell had outperformed the Energizer on the previous day.

My wife looked upon our result and suggested that perhaps we should continue the experiment with another trial. My son and I agreed that perhaps we should take the data sheet, prepare the science fair display and simply state that additional testing would probably be necessary to solve the mystery of whether the Duracell battery was better than the Energizer battery.

This scientific experiment provided the opportunity to learn much more than what was intended in the beginning. I was reminded and my son learned for the first time there is often more to a scientific experiment than meets the eye and perhaps the most important lesson was that sometimes things appear more attractive than they actually are.

After our son had gone to bed, my wife and I were discussing the experiment and she brought up a few more issues that were relevant to the scientific endeavor that my son and I had undertaken. She asked if we had considered the cost of the batteries, the shelf life of the batteries or even if our results would be the same if we had used another gadget that required a batteries. I admitted that there certainly was much more to the question of whether the Energizer "bunny" or the Duracell "copper top" was better. I suggested that if our son had a science fair project next year that she might want to take the lead in guiding his efforts. In our household we failed to solve the mystery or whether the Energizer or the Duracell was the better battery, but we enjoyed the challenge and my son received an "A" for his project.

A few weeks after the experiment I was out shopping and bought some new batteries for the small flashlight that I keep by my bedside. My son was with me and noted that I did not purchase either the Energizer or the Duracell and asked, "Dad, why didn't you buy Energizer or Duracell batteries?" "Son," I replied, "these are probably just as good and they are much less expensive."