Can a Lemon & Lime Battery Light Up a Light Bulb?
A citrus fruit battery relies on the acidity of the fruit juice to act as an electrolyte. This creates and conducts electricity between two metal objects. Using wire and nails, the fruit will send a current up to the bulb or meter.
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Making a Lemon or Lime Light a Light Bulb
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You need a lemon or lime, a copper or steel nail, a zinc nail, wires, wire pliers and a small bulb with exposed wire leads. Roll the lemon or lime on a table to release the juice without puncturing the fruit. Insert the nails an inch apart from each other into the fruit. Do not let the nails touch each other. Strip any coating from the wire using the pliers. Connect one wire to a nail and one of the leads from the bulb. Repeat for the second nail and bulb lead.
Testing the Amount of Electricity
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You can test the amount of electricity each fruit will produce by using a volt meter. Insert the prongs into the fruit after you have rolled it around on the counter to release the juice. Turn on the meter and it will give you a reading. This reading can be compared to the PH value of the fruit because the amount acid in the fruit determines how much electricity the fruit can produce.
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Nails and Wires of Different Metals
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Substitute the nails in the fruit batter with nails of different metal types for different results. The amount of power that can be transferred from a lemon or lime to a bulb changes with different metals because each type of nail has a different amount electrons. The combination of wire and nail metal changes the amount of electricity that passes through. The more electrons a metal has, the more electricity can pass through to the bulb.
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References
- Photo Credit bio battery image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
