Why do batteries turn off when they are not plugged in?

Question: Why do batteries turn off when they are not plugged in?
- Keywords:
  batteries
Asked by to Thomas, Saiful, Piers, Olivia, Meggi, Laurence on 12 Jan 2017. This question was also asked by .
- Meggi answered on 12 Jan 2017:
  
  Batteries are only active if a flow of electrons is enabled. Inside the battery, the ions move between anode and cathode. But these ion will only get reduced or oxidized at the electrode (key operation of the battery) if the electrons can move between the electrodes.

harlan connor commented on 12 Jan 2017:

Thank you! That question has confused me for ages, but now it makes much more sense.

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Question: Why do batteries turn off when they are not plugged in?