Final answer:
Connecting a resistor to a battery allows electric current to flow, encountering resistance which converts electrical energy into heat. The voltage across the resistor, dictated by Ohm's Law, drives the current, while the battery's stored chemical potential energy is converted to electrical energy. Over time, the battery expends all its energy and goes flat.
Step-by-step explanation:
When an electrical resistor is connected to a battery, the battery provides electrical energy that allows electrons to flow through the circuit. This flow of electrons, or electric current, encounters resistance within the resistor, which is a measure of how difficult it is for the current to pass through. According to Ohm's Law, the voltage across the resistor (Vresistor) is equal to the current (I) through it multiplied by its resistance (R), expressed as Vresistor = IR.
The battery itself undergoes a chemical reaction to produce the electrical energy, gradually converting its stored chemical potential energy into electrical energy. As the electrons move, they transfer energy to the resistive material of the resistor, and it converts some of this electrical energy into heat. If a lightbulb is part of the circuit, part of the energy is also converted into light.
The potential difference, or voltage, is the driving force that propels the electrons through the circuit. The voltage increases as we go across the battery, from the negative to the positive terminal, and decreases as we travel across the resistor. Once all the chemical potential energy of the battery has been utilized, it will eventually 'go flat,' and no longer be able to supply power to the circuit.