Potato battery graph
Potato Batteries: Veggie power!
Data and Analysis
Background
The battery was invented around 1800 by Alessandro Volta in Italy. It has become an indispensable part of modern life. Why are batteries so useful? Because they convert chemical energy into electrical energy. You can use this electrical energy to light a flashlight, to start a car, or to listen to your favorite music.
We made a simple battery out of a potato by placing in it a zinc strip and a copper strip. At the zinc strip, the acid dissolves the zinc freeing electrons. At the copper strip, the acid uses those electrons to form hydrogen gas. Because the zinc strip frees electrons and the copper strip uses electrons, if you put a wire between the two strips, then electrons will flow from the zinc to the copper. This is electrical energy.
The flow of electricity is called an electrical current, which is measured in a unit called amperes (also called amps for short). Electrical current cannot just flow on its own; it needs something to "push" it. Voltage (also referred to as electric potential) is what pushes electrical current through wires. Voltage is measured in volts, and the symbol for volts is V. The general purpose is to determine the voltage of a potato; with this experiment we intend to answer the following questions:
1. How much voltage and/or current does it take to power the LED? Is there a certain voltage and/or current below which the LED will not light up at all?
2. How much voltage and/or current does it take to power the buzzer? Is there a certain voltage and/or current below which the buzzer will not make any sound?
3. Aside from potato, what other fruits can be used as electrolyte substitute for a battery?
Procedure:
We insert copper and zinc electrodes into the potato, close but not touching each other. We use alligator clip leads to connect our electrodes to the Multi-meter to measure voltage between two electrodes or current passing through the multi-meter. We
Data and Analysis
Background
The battery was invented around 1800 by Alessandro Volta in Italy. It has become an indispensable part of modern life. Why are batteries so useful? Because they convert chemical energy into electrical energy. You can use this electrical energy to light a flashlight, to start a car, or to listen to your favorite music.
We made a simple battery out of a potato by placing in it a zinc strip and a copper strip. At the zinc strip, the acid dissolves the zinc freeing electrons. At the copper strip, the acid uses those electrons to form hydrogen gas. Because the zinc strip frees electrons and the copper strip uses electrons, if you put a wire between the two strips, then electrons will flow from the zinc to the copper. This is electrical energy.
The flow of electricity is called an electrical current, which is measured in a unit called amperes (also called amps for short). Electrical current cannot just flow on its own; it needs something to "push" it. Voltage (also referred to as electric potential) is what pushes electrical current through wires. Voltage is measured in volts, and the symbol for volts is V. The general purpose is to determine the voltage of a potato; with this experiment we intend to answer the following questions:
1. How much voltage and/or current does it take to power the LED? Is there a certain voltage and/or current below which the LED will not light up at all?
2. How much voltage and/or current does it take to power the buzzer? Is there a certain voltage and/or current below which the buzzer will not make any sound?
3. Aside from potato, what other fruits can be used as electrolyte substitute for a battery?
Procedure:
We insert copper and zinc electrodes into the potato, close but not touching each other. We use alligator clip leads to connect our electrodes to the Multi-meter to measure voltage between two electrodes or current passing through the multi-meter. We