Earth Hour / Lemon Battery Light
Lemon Battery Light
Small groups link lemons with copper and zinc to make a simple battery strong enough to light a small LED, discovering that electricity can come from a chemical reaction.
How to run it
- Roll each lemon on the table to loosen the juice inside.
- Push a galvanised nail and a copper coin or strip into each lemon, a few centimetres apart.
- Connect three or four lemons in a chain with alligator clip wires, copper to zinc.
- Attach the free ends to a small LED and dim the room to see it glow.
- Try fewer lemons, potatoes or other fruit and compare results.
You will need
- lemons
- galvanised nails
- copper coins or copper strips
- alligator clip wires
- small LEDs
Make it easier or harderYounger groups can watch an educator demonstration and help connect wires; older children can measure voltage with a multimeter.
SafetySupervise nail use, throw the lemons away afterwards rather than eating them, and wash hands.
My Time Our Place · Outcome 4Children test, troubleshoot and explain how a simple circuit works.
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