Children are quick learners and they are very curious. A fast way to get your kid interested in the sciences is by allowing them to bask in the wonder of scientific creations. Take a battery for instance. Do you know how easy it is to make a battery from lemons and other little materials at home? You can allow your child to dabble in this little lemon battery experiment and watch them marvel at their creation.
The storage of electricity inside a handy object is one of the amazing breakthroughs that has allowed us to enjoy technology so well. All our portable devices make use of batteries and so many people still marvel at how ingenious the invention is. Teach your child this lemon battery experiment – it’s simple and fun.
Understanding the Basics
All of us know how an electro-chemical battery works. The construction and working of the lemon experiment can be compared to a normal battery having electrodes and electrolyte. “Lemon battery” requires two external metal electrodes in the same way; however the electrolyte is supplied by the lemon itself.
In a conventional battery, the two electrodes are two different metal pieces (Usually copper and zinc), submerged in an acidic solution (electrolyte) and connected through an external wiring to a voltmeter or a small bulb. Similarly, for a “lemon battery” experiment, two different metals in the form of a zinc and a copper wires are inserted into a juicy lemon. The lemon battery is also known as a voltaic battery which produces electricity by converting chemical energy to electrical energy.
Materials Needed For a Lemon Battery Experiment
The materials needed to pull this off are few and very easy to acquire. Most of them can be gotten from the house and even when unavailable, they can be gotten at the store. These are the materials needed:
- 1 lemon
- 2 forks
- 2 copper wires
- Light bulb or a wire and a clock
How To Perform The Experiment – Step By Step
Just as the materials needed to conduct this experiment aren’t much, the process too is pretty easy and straightforward. It is important to note, however, that adult supervision is required. As a parent or guardian, stick around while your child or ward is putting together this experiment to ensure they’re being careful.
It is also noteworthy that this lemon battery experiment creates a wet cell battery and not a dry one. It will only power something small like an LCD clock or an LED bulb. Here is a step-by-step process on how to perform a lemon battery experiment.
Step 1
Take your lemon and roll it on the table gently. Apply a little downward pressure while you do so because this will release the lemon juices inside the fruit. It is the lemon juices that is needed to power the battery.
Step 2
Use a knife to cut the lemon into two halves.
Step 3
Insert one fork and one copper wire into each of the lemon halves.
Step 4
Attach one of the wires from the LCD clock to the copper wire in the first lemon half.
Step 5
Attach the other wire from the clock to the fork in the second lemon half.
Step 6
Take the separate electrical wire and connect each end to the fork in the first lemon half and the copper wire in the second lemon half. Then watch as the clock is powered up.
Conclusion
This experiment is fun and is one of the best ways to get your kids involved in science. They might have questions about how certain things work, especially electrical things. Instead of giving them simple and vocal answers, you can help them perform this experiment. Not only will it satisfy their curious minds, but it will also help them understand the way certain things work and get them interested in getting practical answers to their other questions.
