Here’s
an experiment using simple household stuff to replicate discoveries
that were first made centuries ago by the great Italian scientist,
Allessandro Volta. (if the last name “sparks” a memory of a certain
electrical term). Don’t worry—no explosions in this experiment; but do
expect some great results.
What You Need:
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1/3 cup lemon juice
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9 pieces of paper toweling, each 1”x1” in size
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5 dimes, 5 pennies.
What to Do:
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You will be doing an experiment to find out what happens inside a battery…and you’ll do it by combining pennies, dimes, and lemon juice. Sound weird? You are not going to be asked to drink the concoction; you’ll just need follow directions closely…and be ready to touch some new stuff while you are at it!
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If you haven’t done so already, cut the paper toweling into 1”x1” pieces, and soak your nine pieces thoroughly in the lemon juice, so that no part of the towel is dry.
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Then put one dime on a clean surface. Place a paper towel square over it, and then place a penny over that. Alternate this way, with a paper towel piece between each coin, until you have used all ten coins.
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Now
make sure your thumb and middle finger are wet, either with lemon
juice or water. Pick up the stack using thumb and middle finger,
making sure that the finger is touching metal, not toweling.
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Get ready: you should feel a tingle in her hand! What’s happening? You’ve just replicated the basic workings of a battery, which actually consists of two different metals surrounded by strong acid. One of the metals has a negative charge, and one has a positive one. When your child used moistened fingers to pick up the coin stack (with a dime on one end and a penny on the other), she completed a “circuit,”—a mild version of what happens when a battery powers a flashlight, or radio…or computer game!
Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9JULJhCsXk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnoNe7Z7nv0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL-ZslWyPXc