An mAh, or milliampere-hour, is a unit of electrical charge used to measure the energy storage capacity of a battery.
Understanding mAh
Here's a breakdown of what mAh means:
- Milliampere (mA): A milliampere is a unit of electrical current, representing one-thousandth of an ampere (A). An ampere is the base unit of electrical current.
- Hour (h): An hour is a unit of time.
- Milliampere-hour (mAh): Therefore, mAh combines current (mA) and time (h) to measure the total charge a battery can hold.
Relationship to Ampere-hour (Ah)
According to the reference, a milliampere-hour (mAh) is one-thousandth of an ampere hour (Ah), written as 1 mAh = 0.001 Ah. Both mAh and Ah are used to specify a battery's ability to store energy and its running time for a device.
Practical Implications of mAh
- Battery Capacity: A higher mAh rating generally indicates a battery can store more energy. This means that, under similar usage conditions, a battery with a higher mAh rating should power a device for a longer period compared to one with a lower mAh rating.
- Device Runtime: The mAh rating is directly related to how long a device will run before needing a recharge. The amount of time a device runs will depend on the devices power consumption.
- Example: A smartphone with a 5000 mAh battery will likely last longer between charges than one with a 3000 mAh battery, assuming similar usage patterns.
Key Takeaways:
- mAh is a common metric for battery capacity.
- Higher mAh values generally mean longer battery life.
- 1 mAh is equal to 0.001 Ah.
