Science Project: How to Make a Battery
Creating electricity from a lemon is a classic science project that demonstrates the concepts of polarity, open and closed circuits and electrolytes. Lemon batteries convert chemical energy into voltaic energy. The citric acid contains electrolytes, which can travel through the water in the lemon juice to offer their energy. One lemon contains approximately 0.7 volts of electricity and can be connected to others to increase the electrical output.
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Things You'll Need
- 4 lemons
- Wire with alligator clips
- 4 copper pennies
- 4 galvanized nails
- Knife
- Light emitting diode (LED)
Instructions
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1
Insert a galvanized nail into one end of each lemon. The zinc coating the nail acts at the negative terminal or anode.
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2
Make a small slit on the other side of each lemon with the knife. Insert a copper penny into each slit. The copper acts as the positive terminal or cathode.
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3
Connect the penny and nail of one lemon to the LED using the alligator-clipped wires. Ensure that the wire attached to the negatively-charged nail is attached to the negative LED lead, which will have a flat edge above it. Electrical energy from the lemon will travel through the nail, into the LED, and back into the lemon through the penny, creating a closed circuit.
You will notice that one lemon does not contain enough electrical energy to power the LED.
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4
Link the four lemons together using the alligator-clipped wires. Connect the nail of Lemon 1 to the penny of Lemon 2, the nail of Lemon 2 to the penny of Lemon 3, and the nail of Lemon 3 to the penny of Lemon 4.
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5
Connect the penny of Lemon 1 to the positive LED terminal and the nail of Lemon 4 to the negative LED terminal, thereby completing the circuit and harnessing the chemical energy of all four lemons. The combined energy from the four lemons should offer enough voltage to light up the LED.
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Add even more lemons to the circuit for added voltage. Try powering small light bulbs, digital watches or calculators.
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Tips & Warnings
To taste the electricity for yourself, close the circuit on your tongue. You will feel a slight tingle and experience a metallic taste.
Use caution when connecting large numbers of lemons, as the resultant collaborative energy can be shocking.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit lemon image by Henryk Olszewski from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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When Life hands you lemons...use the lemons as a battery to power a LED light to brighten your day. LOL! Want to know how? Materials: Lemon, penny, nail, , LED light, and 2 alligator-clipped wires.
