Battery Acid

So, I've been doing some interesting research work. And when you're done, you'll likely say, "Wow, this is all she does with her time during break? Sad."

So, anyway, a few weeks ago, I attempted to take my laptop to Minneapolis to get some much needed work done on a paper. Sadly, riding in the car, I pushed the power button and it proceeded to turn on and then back off again. Ticked, I put it away and charged it up when we got to the house we were staying at. Then, on the way home, it lasted a whole 20 minutes before crapping out again. Later that week (during dead week, of course), it lasted a victorious 30 minutes before dying on me.

So, despising the battery, I discover from my dad that it will cost over $100 to replace the battery. Eww, I sigh, and decided to just deal with the power supply and not get a new battery. I'm cheap.

But then, this week, he informs me that they just replaced about 4 batteries on laptops at work and the laptops happen to be the same kind as the one I have. Victorious, I think. He brings the 4 "dead" batteries home, saying he's suspicious one may actually be good, but they replaced all 4 anyway. So, I go to work. I make a database, charge up the first battery, stick it in, and go without the power supply. The results?

Battery #1: Lasts 1hr, 5 min. Better, but not great.
Battery #2: Lasts 2 hr, 34 min. Amazing.
Battery #3: Lasts 2 hr, 27 min. Still quite amazing.
Battery #4: Lasts 1 hr, 55 min. What?!
**edit**
Battery #5 (mine): Lasts 3 minutes

Okay, so, turns out that 3 out of the 4 batteries that I was given to test were actually quite good. Yup. But 2 days worth of testing reveals this: I might get a battery that's in almost perfect condition out of the deal for way less than I would pay for an actual new one.

So, that's my sad life and where I have fun...conducting tests on battery life. This may explain why I enjoy doing things like watching MythBusters.