How to Make A Lemon Battery
Project Overview: Imagine you go to grab a battery for a toy or a remote but there isn’t any. So this project will allow you to use common items in the tool box to create your own battery. ( Adult supervision advised)
Materials:
1-2 lemons
1 copper coin or copper strip
1 zinc nail (Galvanized nail)
2 alligator clip wires
Digital multimeter (voltmeter)
Instructions:
Roll the lemon on a table while gently pressing down, this releases more juice inside the lemon
Insert the zinc nail into one side of the lemon
Then insert the copper coin or strip into the other side of the lemon, about 2-3 cm away from the nail (make sure the two metals do NOT touch)
Attach one alligator clip wire to the zinc nail, then attach the second alligator clip wire to the copper coin or strip
Connect the other ends of the wires to the multimeter. Connect the wire from the zinc nail to the black (COM) port and the wire from the copper to the red (V) port
Turn the multimeter on and set it to measure DC Voltage
Read the voltage shown on the screen and write it down
If you want, try a second lemon
Connect the zinc nail of the first lemon to the copper coin of the second lemon with another wire.
Then connect the free copper on the first lemon and the free zinc on the second lemon to the multimeter
Read the voltage and write it down
Compare your results and see if adding another lemon increased the voltage
Explanation:
The lemon juice in the lemon helps the electricity move between the zinc nail and the copper coin/strip. The zinc and copper react with the lemon juice, creating a small amount of electricity.This small amount of electricity travels through the alligator clip wires, and the multi meter measures how much electricity the lemon batter makes. Adding the second lemon increased the voltage which comes down to the conclusion that adding more lemons can produce even more electricity.
