Natural Batteries(Orange and apple Batteries)
If you have fruit, a couple of nails, and wire then you can generate electricity to turn on a light bulb. Learn how to make a fruit battery. It's fun, safe, and easy.
What You Need? :
How does it work?: A fruit battery is a classic science experiment used to demonstrate the basics of a chemical battery system. To recreate this experiment, you will need one very juicy fruit, a galvanized (zinc-coated) steel nail, a clean copper coin (or section of household copper wiring) and a sensitive voltmeter. Voltmeters can usually be found in the electrical supply section of a hardware store, electronic hobby store or home improvement center.
The fruit battery experiment usually begins with a brief lecture on electrons and chemical reaction. The fruit contains a significant amount of acidic juice, which in scientific terminology is an electrolyte. The acid in an electrolyte helps to break down the atomic structure of the copper and zinc, causing individual electrons to be released. Carefully insert the copper coin or household copper wiring into one end of the fruit, then insert the galvanized nail into the opposite end. Make sure the two metals do not make contact with each other.
The nail and the coin have now become electrodes. Both copper and zinc allow electrons to flow through them, which means they are considered excellent conductors of electricity. The copper coin or wire is considered a positive (+)electrode, while the zinc-coated nail is a negative (-) electrode. The free-flowing electrons found in the fruit juice electrolyte naturally want to move from the negative to the positive electrodes. How fast these electrons flow is measured as voltage. The faster the flow rate, the higher the voltage will be.A single lemon battery will not produce a significant amount of voltage, but a sensitive voltmeter should detect some electrical output. Show your audience the voltmeter's original reading of zero volts. Connect the positive clip (red casing) to the copper coin or wire and the negative clip (black casing) to the galvanized nail. The digital readout or analog dial on the voltmeter should show a small voltage number, usually less than one-tenth of a volt. This isn't enough to run a digital clock or power a lightbulb, but it does demonstrate that an electrical current can be generated through a chemical reaction alone.
Once the single-cell fruit battery demonstration is over, many instructors will ask for ideas on increasing the voltage output. This discussion may lead to the idea of a series of fruit batteries working in unison. If such a series is desired, additional wires should be attached from the positive electrode (copper) of one fruit to the negative (zinc) end of another. A series of four lemon batteries may be enough to power a small light-emitting diode (LED). Connect a negative lead to the LED wire closest to a flattened area of the casing. Connect a positive lead to the other wire and dim the room lights. There should be a dim but noticeable glow in the center of the LED. Add more fruit batteries to the series for better results.
What You Need? :
- 1-citrus fruit (e.g., lime, orange, grapefruit)
- 2-copper nail, screw or wire (about 2" or 5 cm long)
- 3-zinc nail or screw or galvanized nail (about 2" or 5 cm long)
- 4-holiday light with 2" or 5 cm leads (enough wire to connect it to the nails)
- Set the fruit on a table and gently roll it around to soften it up. You want the juice to be flowing inside the fruit without breaking its skin. Alternatively, you can squeeze the fruit with your hands.
- Insert the zinc and copper nails into the fruit so that they are about 2" or 5 cm apart. You don't want them to be touching each other. Avoid puncturing through the end of the fruit.
- Remove enough insulation from the leads of the light (about 1") so that you can wrap one lead around the zinc nail and one lead around the copper nail. If you like, you can use electrical tape or alligator clips to keep the wire from falling off the nails.
- When you connect the second nail, the light will turn on!
- Citrus fruits are acidic, which helps their juice to conduct electricity. What other fruits and vegetables might you try that would work as batteries?
- If you have a multimeter, you can measure the current produced by the battery. Compare the effectiveness of different types of fuits. See what happens as you change the distance between the nails.
- Do acidic fruits always work better? Measure the pH (acidity) of the fruit juice and compare that with the current through the wires or brightness of the light bulb,and that is a video on that Scientific Experiment
How does it work?: A fruit battery is a classic science experiment used to demonstrate the basics of a chemical battery system. To recreate this experiment, you will need one very juicy fruit, a galvanized (zinc-coated) steel nail, a clean copper coin (or section of household copper wiring) and a sensitive voltmeter. Voltmeters can usually be found in the electrical supply section of a hardware store, electronic hobby store or home improvement center.
The fruit battery experiment usually begins with a brief lecture on electrons and chemical reaction. The fruit contains a significant amount of acidic juice, which in scientific terminology is an electrolyte. The acid in an electrolyte helps to break down the atomic structure of the copper and zinc, causing individual electrons to be released. Carefully insert the copper coin or household copper wiring into one end of the fruit, then insert the galvanized nail into the opposite end. Make sure the two metals do not make contact with each other.
The nail and the coin have now become electrodes. Both copper and zinc allow electrons to flow through them, which means they are considered excellent conductors of electricity. The copper coin or wire is considered a positive (+)electrode, while the zinc-coated nail is a negative (-) electrode. The free-flowing electrons found in the fruit juice electrolyte naturally want to move from the negative to the positive electrodes. How fast these electrons flow is measured as voltage. The faster the flow rate, the higher the voltage will be.A single lemon battery will not produce a significant amount of voltage, but a sensitive voltmeter should detect some electrical output. Show your audience the voltmeter's original reading of zero volts. Connect the positive clip (red casing) to the copper coin or wire and the negative clip (black casing) to the galvanized nail. The digital readout or analog dial on the voltmeter should show a small voltage number, usually less than one-tenth of a volt. This isn't enough to run a digital clock or power a lightbulb, but it does demonstrate that an electrical current can be generated through a chemical reaction alone.
Once the single-cell fruit battery demonstration is over, many instructors will ask for ideas on increasing the voltage output. This discussion may lead to the idea of a series of fruit batteries working in unison. If such a series is desired, additional wires should be attached from the positive electrode (copper) of one fruit to the negative (zinc) end of another. A series of four lemon batteries may be enough to power a small light-emitting diode (LED). Connect a negative lead to the LED wire closest to a flattened area of the casing. Connect a positive lead to the other wire and dim the room lights. There should be a dim but noticeable glow in the center of the LED. Add more fruit batteries to the series for better results.
Do you like this experiment ? press +1
