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Science Experiments ~ How to Make Electricity

Updated on July 21, 2015

Best Science Experiments With Kids

Lemon and electricity
Lemon and electricity

Kids Learn to Make Electricity

Science with Lemons

When kids hear the word science chances are they are thinking about boring class in school with lots of science homework. But before you shake your head and make a sour face, teaching your kids with science experiments they can easily learn how to make electricity work. Don't let them take science for granted, instead try this lemon experiment and show them how it works.

Kids Science Projects
Kids Science Projects

Turn on the Light Bulb

With Lemon Experiment

What if science could help you learn how to make your own electricity to turn on a light bulb. Sounds tricky but it really isnt. And with a few things you can gather, I am going to show you to make electricity with lemons! Science experiments have never been so much fun.

Gather these Tools

supplies you need to make electricity
supplies you need to make electricity

What You Need To

Turn A Lemon Into

Electricity

  • a few lemons
  • a galvanometer (see below how to make your own)
  • 2 copper wires
  • a large paper clip
  • a pair of sharp scissors

the colors of electricity
the colors of electricity

Make A Galvanometer

compass
compass

Learn How to Make A Galvanometer

A galvanometer is an instrument designed to detect electric currents. You can make your own with a few simple materials.

  • a compass
  • 15 feet of bell wire (get this from the hardware store)
  • small shoe box

Place the compass in he center of your shoe box. Scrape off about 1/2" of insulation from each end of the bell wire. Starting from about 6" from one end, wind the wire tightly around the box, circling it about 2 dozen times. Lave another 6 inches of wire free on the other side of the box.

Rest your galvanometer on the table so that it is horizontal and turn it until the compass needle is parallel to the coil wire.

how to set your electricity science experiment up
how to set your electricity science experiment up

Attach the Galvanometer

How To Set It Up

  1. First you need to strip off any insulation on the ends of the wire.
  2. Then untwist the paper clip and attach it to an end of the one of the wires.
  3.  Squeeze the lemon gently with your hands. But don't rupture the lemon's skin. Rolling it on a table with a little pressure works great. Make two small cuts in the skin of the lemon and inch (2.5cm) apart.
  4. Insert the stripped wire and the paper clip into the skin of the lemon as well into the juicy part. Make sure that the 2 wires are close to one another but they should not be touching.
  5. Connect the free ends of the two wires to the terminal of the galvanometer. If you do not have a galvanometer you can make your own. If you make your own connect the free ends of the wires to your homemade galvanometer.

what happens when you make electricity
what happens when you make electricity

Electricity

In some materials, particularly metals, the electrons farthest from the nucleus are not bound to a particular atom - they can move freely from one atom to another. Electricity is the flow of these free electrons in a wire:
In some materials, particularly metals, the electrons farthest from the nucleus are not bound to a particular atom - they can move freely from one atom to another. Electricity is the flow of these free electrons in a wire:

What Happens

Did you see the meter move?

The Chemical reactions of the copper of the wire and the iron of the paper clip in the acid of the lemon juice draw electrons away from one wire towards the other. What is happening is that they flow out of the lemon through one wire, then go through the meter and then enter the lemon by the other wire.

Turn On the Lemon

Light Up A Light Bulb

Get a bulb of less than 1.5 volts. Then connect a few lemons and test to see how many lemon wet cells it will take to light the bulb up.

  1. Line up the lemons so that you can link them to one another.
  2. Make sure that you have copper wire and a paper clip in each.
  3. You should end up with two free wire ends, one attached to a clip.
  4. Connect these wire ends to the bulb.

the taste of electricity
the taste of electricity

The Tingle of Electrons

Taste Electricity!

If you touch the two wires that you have put into the lemon to your tongue at the same time, you will taste something metallic and you should feel a slight tingling sensation. And what you are tasting is and feeling is electricity!

The tingle felt in your tongue and the metallic taste is due to the movement of electrons through the saliva on your tongue.

Touching the electrodes to your tongue closes the circuit and allows an small electric current to flow. A single lemon produces about 7/10 of a volt of electricity. If you connected two lemons together, you can power an inexpensive digital watch (uses about 1.5 volts)

More Kids Science Experiements
More Kids Science Experiements
The Master Scientist
The Master Scientist

Science Experiments

Always Remember when doing any science experiment it is important to:

  • Follow all directions carefully and work in a clean, safe area.
  • Tell your parents/teachers you are conducting an experiment and ask if they want to help.
  • If you have questions or problems, feel free to ask an adult for help.
  • Don't do any experiment that you feel is too complex.

Teach Your Kids Through Nature

How To Make a Sundial
How To Make a Sundial
working

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