How many AA batteries does it take to boil a liter of water?
About 31 AA batteriesThat takes about 93 Wh, and one AA holds about 3 Wh.
It takes about 31 AA batteries.
How we worked it out
That takes about 93 Wh, and one AA holds about 3 Wh. Alkaline AA batteries, about 3 Wh each, and no energy lost on the way. Real life adds a little friction and waste, so treat the number as a solid ballpark rather than a lab result. The constants behind every experiment are on the science page.
Watch it happen
This was one of the five experiments in It Took #5. In the game you guess first, then the experiment plays out with your number: too few and it fails, too many and it overshoots.
Play It Took #5Play today’s experiments
More aa batteries questions
- How many AA batteries does it take to fully charge a smartphone? About 5.
- How many AA batteries does it take to make one cup of tea? About 8.
- How many AA batteries does it take to fully charge a laptop? About 22.
- How many AA batteries does it take to keep an LED bulb on for a day? About 64.
- How many AA batteries does it take to watch 3 hours of TV? About 100.
- How many AA batteries does it take to take an 8-minute electric shower? About 330.
- How many AA batteries does it take to run a fridge for a day? About 400.
- How many AA batteries does it take to charge a phone every day for a year? About 1,600.