fruit conductivity experiment

Why Do Some Fruits and Vegetables Conduct Electricity?

At any science fair, you're almost guaranteed to see at least two go-to experiments: the clichéd papier-mâché volcano and the ever-popular pickle or potato battery. Many people may think it's amazing that a simple piece of produce can conduct electricity. As it turns out, that's not the whole story.

There are many types of electrical conductors. These include traditional electrical conductors, such as the copper and silver wires that are used to run electrical currents in homes and buildings, and ionic conductors, which can power electricity via free moving ions. Organic material, such as human tissue or the potato in your science experiment, are ionic conductors that create ionic circuits. Electrolytes — chemical compounds that create ions when they are dissolved in water — in these materials do all of the work.

" Fruits and vegetables conduct electricity in the same way a salt solution will complete an electrical circuit," Michael Hickner, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at Penn State, told Live Science. "It's due to the ions in the salt solution. They don't conduct electrons [as traditional electrical conductors do] [ How Do Batteries Work? ]

An ionic conductor contains positive and negative charges — otherwise known as charged ions — that move freely when they come into contact with a voltage. For example, when table salt is dissolved in water, the sodium and chloride — which have opposite charges, as Na+ and Cl- — create an ionic solution, Hickner said. These ionic solutions are called electrolytes and can be found in every living thing. Because of this, technically, any fruit or vegetable could become an ionic conductor, but some are better at it than others. This is also why salt water or unfiltered tap water are better ionic conductors than filtered fresh water.

The best food battery is any fruit or vegetable that has high levels of superconductive ions, such as potassium or sodium, and the proper internal structure to create a working current. Potatoes, which have homogenous structures, and pickles, which have high levels of sodium and acidity, are good examples of such foods. For an extra electrical "oomph," you can soak your potato in salt water before setting up the potato battery experiment, Hickner said.

In contrast, tomatoes have unorganized, messy insides and often leak, and even an orange — which has high levels of potassium — won't work well, because the flesh of the fruit is divided into internal compartments, and these create barriers that block the current, Paul Takhistov, an associate professor of food engineering at Rutgers University in New Jersey, told Live Science.

Fruit and metal

Some fruits and vegetables may be chock-full of superconductive ions, but you'll need a few more materials to turn these foods into batteries. The voltage from the battery comes from electrodes made of two different metals, such as copper and zinc, Hickner said. You can easily make a potato or pickle battery using a copper penny and a galvanized nail (which is usually made of iron coated with zinc).

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"The fruit or vegetable can't conduct on its own. It needs something to drive the ions," Takhistov said. "When you insert two different metals and connect them with wire, you create an electrical circuit. Then, when this material is brought in contact with the electrolytes, the battery reaction starts to generate the voltage. Because of the difference in electrical potential energy between the two metals, the positive and negative ions will begin to move freely."

But could a potato battery power, for example, a phone? Probably not.

A potato battery can produce only about 1.2 volts of energy. Takhistov said you would need to link many potato batteries in parallel to create enough of a current to charge a device like a phone or tablet. "At that point," Takhistov said, "it's probably just easier to use your phone charger."

Original story on Live Science .

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Generate Electricity with a Lemon Battery

A tingly science project from Science Buddies

By Science Buddies

Did you know you can make a battery out of a piece of fruit? You'll be charged up on science when you feel the success of your homemade electricity!

George Retseck

Key concepts Electricity Batteries Electrochemical reaction Electric conductor

Introduction Can you imagine how your life would change if batteries did not exist? If it were not for this handy way to store electrical energy, we would not be able to have all of our portable electronic devices, such as phones, tablets and laptop computers. So many other items—from remote-control cars to flashlights to hearing aids—would also need to be plugged into a wall outlet in order to function.

In 1800 Alessandro Volta invented the first battery, and scientists have been hard at work ever since improving previous designs. With all this work put into batteries and all the frustration you might have had coping with dead ones, it might surprise you that you can easily make one out of household materials. Try this activity and it might just charge your imagination!

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Background Batteries are containers that store chemical energy, which can be converted to electrical energy—or what we call electricity . They depend on an electrochemical reaction to do this. The reaction typically occurs between two pieces of metal, called electrodes , and a liquid or paste, called an electrolyte . For a battery to work well, the electrodes must be made up of two different types of materials. This ensures one will react differently than the other with the electrolyte. This difference is what generates electricity. Connect the two electrodes with a material that can transport electricity well (called a conductor ) and the chemical reactions fire up; the battery is generating electricity! As you make connections, note that electricity likes to take the path of least resistance. If there are multiple ways to go from one electrode to the other, the electricity will take the path that lets it flow most easily.

Now that you know the essentials of a battery, let's examine some household materials. Aluminum foil is a good conductor—electricity flows easily through it. The human body conducts electricity as well, but not as well as aluminum foil. Electrodes are as common as copper pennies you might have stashed in your piggy bank. As for electrolytes, they are found all over the kitchen; lemon juice is just one example. A simple household battery might be easier to make than you imagined!

At least two pennies

A few drops of dishwashing soap

Paper towels

Aluminum foil (at least nine by 60 centimeters)

At least one lemon (preferably with a thin skin)

Knife (and an adult's help when using it)

At least two plastic-coated paper clips

Preparation

Wash your pennies in soapy water, then rinse and dry them off with a paper towel. This will remove any dirt sticking to them.

Carefully cut three aluminum foil rectangles, each three centimeters by 20 centimeters.

Fold each strip in thirds lengthwise to get three sturdy one-centimeter-by-20-centimeter aluminum strips.

Note: In this activity you will make a very low-voltage battery. The amount of electricity generated by this homemade battery is safe, and you will even be able to test it by touching your finger to it and feeling the weak current. Higher voltages of electricity, however, can be very dangerous and even deadly; you should not experiment with commercial batteries or wall outlets.

Place the lemon on its side on a plate and have an adult carefully use the knife to make a small cut near the middle of the lemon (away from either end). Make the cut about two centimeters long and one centimeter deep.

Make a second, similar cut about one centimeter away and parallel to the first cut.

Push a penny in the first cut until only half of it is showing above the lemon skin. Part of the penny should be in contact with the lemon juice because that is what serves as the electrolyte. This copper penny in contact with the lemon juice serves as your first electrode. Note: If your lemon has a very thick skin, you might need an adult to carefully cut away some lemon peel. Why do you think is it important for part of the penny to be in contact with the lemon juice?

Slide one of the aluminum strips in the second cut until you are sure part of the aluminum is in contact with the lemon juice. Can you guess which part of a battery the aluminum strip that sits inside the lemon is? Do you think it is important for the aluminum to be in contact with the lemon juice?

You have just made a battery! It has two electrodes made of different metals and an electrolyte separating them . Do you think this battery is generating electricity or is there still something missing?

Your battery can generate electricity but will only do so when the electrodes are connected with something that conducts electricity. To make a connection attach the second aluminum strip to the part of the penny sticking out of the lemon with a plastic-coated paper clip. Make sure the aluminum touches the penny so electricity can pass between the copper and aluminum. You used an aluminum strip to create a connection; would you expect a plastic strip to work as well? Do you know why you do not need to create a connection to the second electrode for this particular battery?

As soon as the two aluminum strips touch one another, electricity will be produced in the battery and flow through the strips, from one electrode to the other. Because you cannot see the electricity flowing, you can try to feel it. Keep the two strips about one centimeter apart and touch your fingertip to them. Can you feel a tingling, created by a small amount of electricity running from one aluminum strip to the other through your body ?

For more electrical juice (and slightly stronger tingling sensation), you can build a second battery, identical to the first. You can choose a different spot on the lemon you just used or use a second lemon to build a second battery. Note that you only need one aluminum strip to build a second battery. To connect the second one to the original find the aluminum strip of the first battery that serves as electrode. (It has its end inserted in the lemon.) Use a plastic-coated paper clip to attach the other end of this aluminum strip to the penny of the second battery. This connects the aluminum electrode of the first battery to the copper electrode of the second battery.

Test this set of connected batteries in a similar way as you tested the single battery, bringing the ends of the two aluminum foil strips sticking out of your battery set (those that have a free end) in contact with your fingertip. Can you feel electricity running? If you could feel it well the first time, is this any different? (Note: If you cannot feel the tingling sensation, check if each electrode—pennies and the aluminum strips stuck in the lemon—are inserted deep enough so they are in contact with lemon juice; make sure there is firm contact between the penny and its attached aluminum strip; and that the aluminum strips are not touching one another. If all is correct, maybe you need slightly more electricity to feel tingling. You can test another person to see if he or she can feel the electricity or you can opt to add one more lemon battery to your set.)

Extra: Now that you can detect whether electricity is generated or not, try some different configurations. What happens if you let the aluminum strips touch? What happens if you replace an aluminum strip with a plastic piece, an unfolded metal paper clip or a toothpick?

Extra: Scientists call the way you connected your batteries in this activity "connecting batteries in series." Do you think the way you connect two batteries makes a difference in the amount of electricity you felt? Try it out by connecting the two copper electrodes to one another and attaching the two aluminum electrodes in the same way. (Note: You will need an extra strip of aluminum to do this.) Scientists call this "connecting batteries in parallel." Test both ways of connecting batteries and compare. Do you feel a difference?

Extra: Try different types of metals as electrodes for your batteries. Do you think a battery with two pennies as electrodes would generate electricity? What about a battery with a penny and a nickel ? Note that some combinations might generate electricity but the amount generated might be below your ability to feel it. Connecting two or more of these batteries might help you identify good combinations.

Extra: You used a lemon to provide the electrolyte for your battery. Do you think other vegetables or fruits would work as well? Would a potato, apple or onion battery work? Try a few from around the kitchen (with permission, of course). Does one particular fruit or vegetable outperform the others? With what you learned about how batteries generate electricity, why do you think that one type of produce made a stronger battery?

Extra : If you have an LED (light-emitting diode) available, investigate how many lemon batteries are needed to light it.

[break] Observations and results Did you feel the tingling in your fingertip?

The battery you just made has a copper and an aluminum electrode separated by electrolyte lemon juice. It will generate electricity as soon as the electricity has a path to flow from one electrode to the other. You created this path using strips of aluminum, a material that conducts electricity well.

By connecting your battery to your fingertip, you allowed the small amount of electricity it generates to run through your body. This amount of electricity can create a tingling feeling in a fingertip. Experiences will differ from person to person. Some people might only feel the bigger signal generated by connecting several batteries in a particular way. Letting the aluminum strips touch provides a very easy way for the electricity to run from one electrode to the other, so almost no electricity will travel through your body and the tingling sensation disappears. Plastic and wood do not conduct electricity well; none will be felt when using these materials as connections. Metals, on the other hand, conduct electricity well. Different combinations of metals as electrodes will influence the amount of electricity generated. Using identical metals as electrodes will not generate electricity, however.

In this activity you made a very low-voltage homemade battery. But using commercial batteries can be dangerous—and never experiment with wall outlets!

More to explore Batteries , from ExplainThatStuff! How Do Batteries Work? , from LiveScience A Battery That Makes Cents , from Science Buddies Potato Batteries: How to Turn Produce into Veggie Power! , from Science Buddies

This activity brought to you in partnership with Science Buddies

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Fruit battery power.

To demonstrate how an electrical current can be generated using citrus fruits (such as lemons or limes) that is strong enough to power a small light bulb.

Additional information

Batteries are devices that store chemical energy and convert it to electrical energy. Consisting of one or more voltaic cells, batteries come in various sizes and forms and are integrated into most electronic and portable devices. Electrical current is the flow of electrons (movement) of an electrical charge and is measured using an ammeter. Solid conductive metals contain large population of free electrons, which are bound to the metal lattice and move around randomly due to thermal energy. When two terminals of a voltage source (battery) are connected via a metal wire, the free electrons of the conductor drift toward the positive terminal, making them the electrical current carrier within the conductor.

Estimated Experiment Time

About 5 to 10 minutes

Step-By-Step Procedure

1. Prepare your fruit for the experiment by squeezing it on all sides with your hands. Make sure not to squeeze too tightly and break the skin! The idea is to soften the fruit enough so that the juice inside are flowing.
2. Insert your nails into the fruit, approximately 2 inches apart from one another. The ends (sharp tips) of the nails should be in the center of the fruit, but not touching one another. Be careful not to pierce the nails through the opposite end of the fruit.
3. Remove the insulation around the bulb wires (the leads) so you can expose the wire underneath. You need to remove enough insulation so you can wrap the exposed wire around the nails.
4. Take one of the exposed wires and wrap it around the galvanized (zinc) nail. If the wire keeps slipping off, use some electrical tape or gator clips to keep it attached.
5. Wrap the other end of the wire around the copper nail.
6. When the second wire is attached to the copper nail, your bulb will light up!
1. Connect one of the Micro Ammeter's terminals to the copper nail and attach with a Crocodile clip.

Observation

Do you think another kind of fruit would work with this experiment? How about a vegetable? Which fruit has the best conductivity? Do you think moving the nails further apart will change the current? Do you think your fruit will continue to power the light bulb after a few hours? How about a few days? Do you think the size of the fruit would effect the voltage?

The zinc nail is an active metal, which reacts with the acid in the fruit. The active ingredient in the fruit are positively charged ions. A transfer of electrons takes place between the zinc nail and the acid from the fruit. The nails act as poles for the battery, one positive and one negative. Electrons travel from the positive pole to the negative pole via the light bulb wire (the conductor), generating enough electricity to light the bulb.

Take a moment to visit our table of Periodic Elements page where you can get an in-depth view of all the elements, complete with the industry first side-by-side element comparisons!

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Science project, fruit battery.

In this science fair project, construct batteries from various fruits and test them to see which one will produce the most electric current. Then, determine if it would be practical to use fruit as a natural source for generating electricity.

An electric current is a flow of electrons and is measured in units called amperes or "amps." Voltage is the force that pushes the electrons through a circuit (like the pressure on water in a pipe) and is measured in volts.

When two dissimilar metals are placed in a common conducting solution, electricity will be produced. This is the basis of the electro-chemical cell, or wet cell . In the early nineteenth-century, Alessandro Volta used this fact of physics to invent the voltaic pile and discovered the first practical method of generating electricity. Constructed of alternating discs of zinc and copper metals with pieces of cardboard soaked in a salt solution between the metals, his voltaic pile produced an electrical current. Alessandro Volta's voltaic pile was the first "wet cell battery" that produced electricity.

A wet cell consists of a negative electrode , a positive electrode and an electrolyte , which conducts ions (atoms with an electric charge). In this science fair project, copper and zinc metals will be used as the electrodes and the citric acid found in fresh fruit is the electrolyte. The chemistry behind the fruit cell is that zinc is more reactive than copper which means zinc loses electrons more easily than copper. As a result, oxidation occurs in the zinc metal strip and zinc metal loses electrons which then become zinc ions. The electrons then flow from the zinc strip to the copper strip through an external circuit. In the copper strip, reduction occurs and the hydrogen ions in the fruit's critic acid juice accept these electrons to form hydrogen gas; this explains why the investigator may observe bubbling of gas produced at the copper strip when the two metals are connected by a wire.

In this project an LED is used to indicate if the fruit-cell is generating an electric current. A Light Emitting Diode (LED) is a semiconductor device which converts electricity into light. An electric current can flow only in one direction through LEDs, which means that they have a positive and negative terminal (also referred to as the anode and cathode ). The cathode should be connected to the negative zinc metal strip, and the anode to the positive copper strip.

Safety: The fruits used in this project should not be eaten. Care should be taken when handling the metal electrodes, LED and alligator clip leads.

Various fruits (such as a lemon, grapefruit, orange, tomato, and kiwi)
Multi-meter
Alligator clip leads
Tri-fold cardboard display board
Copper and zinc electrodes
(optional) Small 1.5 volt electric hobby motor.

Research Questions

What is a wet cell battery?
Why do placing two dissimilar metals into a fruit produce an electric current?
Which fruit-cell produced the most electricity? Which fruit-cell produced the least?
Did changing how far in the electrodes were make the current increase or decrease?
Did putting the electrodes closer together make the current increase or decrease?
Did putting the electrodes farther apart make the current increase or decrease, or stay the same?
Did the size of fruit make a difference? If so, did the size make the current increase or decrease?
How long did the fruit-cell provide electricity to light the LED?
Citrus fruits are acidic, which helps their juice to conduct electricity. What other fruits and vegetables might work as batteries?
Would fruit juice minus the fruit work as an electrolyte?
Prepare the fruits for this project by squeezing them on all sides with the hands. Make sure not to squeeze too tightly and break the skin!
Stick the zinc electrode all the way into the first fruit to be tested.
Place the copper electrode on the opposite side.
Connect the longer of the two LED leads to the copper strip and the shorter lead to the metal strip using a pair of alligator clips.
Observe and record what happens.
If the LED lights up, also record how long the LED stays lit.
Measure the current using the multi-meter.
Remove the zinc and copper electrodes and wipe off any excess juice.
Repeat the same procedure using a different fruit. Record the results for each time.
For a more scientifically-accurate investigation, the entire process should be repeated twice more.
Calculate the average current produced by adding the values from the three independent results and dividing the sum by three for each fruit.
Record the data in a table similar to the one shown.

Current ( )
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3

Using the data in the table, plot a bar graph with name of fruit along the x-axis and current along the y-axis.

If the LED does not light up, connect several fruit cells together attaching copper to zinc on each fruit. Also if a small motor is used instead of an LED and it doesn't automatically start when attached to the fruit cell, twist the armature.

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Lemon and Potato Battery Experiment

Learn how to generate electricity from common fruit or vegetables.

Posted by Admin / in Energy & Electricity Experiments

Is it possible to produce electricity from common fruit or vegetables? Fruits and vegetables require energy from the sun to grow and produce a harvest. Is it possible that some of the sun's energy is stored in the produce for our use? We know that by eating fruits and vegetables our body can convert this food to energy. Is it possible to directly generate electricity from a piece of fruit or a vegetable. This lemon battery and potato battery science experiment tests this theory.

Materials Needed

Copper strip or rod
Zinc strip or zinc-coated bolt
Circuit wire or alligator clips with wire

EXPERIMENT STEPS

Step 1: Cut 2 small slits in the skin of both the lemon and the potato. Make the slits are a few inches apart.

Step 2: Push the copper and zinc strips into the slits in each piece of produce. Make sure the rods do not touch each other.

Step 3: Connect an electrical wire to the end of each metal strip. Alligator clips make this step easy.

Step 4: Measure the voltage drop between the two wires attached to the metal strips on the lemon and the potato. This is the amount of voltage being produced by each piece of produce. Compare the difference in the amount of voltage produced by a lemon and a potato. What do you notice? How long will the fruit and vegetable generate voltage?

Science Learned

The lemon and the potato act like a low-power battery. This experiment shows how a wet cell battery works. Chemicals in the fruit or vegetable create a negative charge in the zinc strip. Electrons move into the zinc strip and travel up the wire attached. The electrons then travel through the voltmeter which measures the voltage drop and end up in the copper strip which becomes the positive end of the circuit. Pardon the pun, but from this experiment we can say that it is possible to "produce electricity".

Oberlin College: Demonstration of lemon battery powering a buzzer .

U.S. Dept. of Energy: Calculating Lemon Battery Power Q&A

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Teaching with Jennifer Findley

Upper Elementary Teaching Blog

Fruit Battery Science Experiment

Fruit and batteries definitely don’t seem to be a combination that goes together. Your students will love this science experiment that has them creating fruit batteries and testing which fruit works the best. Free printables, including a reading passage, are included to help you make the most of this science experiment.

This fruit battery experiment is a perfect chemical science activity for upper elementary students. Get all the details including a free reading passage on this post.

Want to see more science activities and resources ?

Fruit Battery Science Experiment Materials Needed:

various acidic or citrus fruit (we used apple, grapefruit, kiwi, lemon, lime, orange, and tomato)
a small piece of copper (any copper material will do, even a copper-coated penny)
a galvanized or zinc nail (any zinc material will do)
a voltmeter or multimeter
free printable tracking chart (at the end of this post)
free passage and comprehension questions download (at the end of this post)

Fruit Battery Science Experiment Directions

1. Roll the fruit around on the counter to get the juices flowing.

2. Insert the piece of copper into the fruit.

3. Insert the nail into the fruit at least an inch away from the piece of copper. If you insert them at an angle, make sure that the pieces do not touch each other inside the fruit.

4. Turn on the voltmeter. If you are using a multimeter, make sure it is set to measure volts.

5. Touch the red wire to the copper and the black wire to the zinc. Firmly hold them still for a few seconds until the voltage stops on a number. Some meters come with alligator clips, so you could use those to clip the wires onto the copper and zinc.

6. Write down the voltage on your sheet and test the next fruit.

7. Analyze the data to determine which fruit had the highest voltage.

The Science Behind the Fruit Battery Science Experiment

Some fruits, especially citrus fruits like lemons and limes, are very acidic. The acid inside the fruit allows an electrical current to flow between the zinc and copper.

After the Experiment Reading Activity

Adding in reading and writing into a science experiment, activity, or demonstration allows you to enhance your students’ understanding and get more mileage from the activity.

For this activity, the students will read a short text that describes the science behind it (similar to what is explained above for the teacher’s reference). The students will use the details they learned in the text to explain what happened during the science experiment. They will also answer three comprehension questions using details from the text.

The questions your students will answer include:

What makes up a voltaic battery?
Why do lemons and limes have the ability to “run” or power an object?
What activates an electrical current, and why is that important?

After reading the passage and answering the questions, you can invite your students to share their responses and have a classroom discussion about electrical currents.

How Can I Get the Free Printable?

Click here or on the image below to download the fruit battery science experiment printable pack .

If you want more resources and even freebies for science , click here to check out my other posts, such as apple oxidation, erosion with grass, dissolving Peeps, gingerbread cookies and candy hearts, creating avalanches and frost, states of matter with chocolate, experiments with growing plants and flowers (including a seed race), and much more.

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Science Centers with Reading Passages

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Share the knowledge, reader interactions.

May 13, 2022 at 6:24 am

Do you have a link to a voltmeter?

April 24, 2023 at 5:53 am

Am a parent and I have a child who asked me to help on choosing a good science project, so am searching for the best project please help me choose the right one. thanks

September 25, 2023 at 10:52 am

this is good

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Welcome Friends!

I’m Jennifer Findley: a teacher, mother, and avid reader. I believe that with the right resources, mindset, and strategies, all students can achieve at high levels and learn to love learning. My goal is to provide resources and strategies to inspire you and help make this belief a reality for your students.

FREE K-12 standards-aligned STEM

curriculum for educators everywhere!

Find more at TeachEngineering.org .

TeachEngineering
Powering a Device Using Food

Hands-on Activity Powering a Device Using Food

Grade Level: 8 (7-9)

(Divide this activity up across four class periods)

Expendable Cost/Group: US $5.00

Group Size: 3

Activity Dependency: None

Subject Areas: Algebra, Physical Science, Science and Technology

NGSS Performance Expectations:

TE Newsletter

Engineering connection, learning objectives, materials list, worksheets and attachments, more curriculum like this, pre-req knowledge, introduction/motivation, vocabulary/definitions, investigating questions, troubleshooting tips, user comments & tips.

Like engineers, in this activity students use the process of data collection and analysis to design an electrical circuit that incorporates various fruits and vegetables that can deliver sufficient electrical energy to power a small electrical device. Students employ an engineering design process when using their data to redesign their circuits for optimal performance. The knowledge gained from recording the amount of electrical energy produced by each food type informs the decision on how to configure the fruits and vegetables to form an electrical circuit that produces sufficient electrical energy to power a small electronic device. Students get an introduction to circuit design, which is a fundamental skill of an electrical engineer. Students also learn about how the chemical make-up of the materials used in the battery influences the amount of power produced as a chemical or material science engineer develops novel materials to enhance the production of and flow of electrons through an electrical circuit for optimal power and energy production. Students also participate in the production of electrical energy from a non-fossil fuel source, which is a fundamental objective of environmental engineers concerned with man-made global climate change induced by greenhouse gases resulting from the use of fossil fuels.

After this activity, students should be able to:

Create a simple circuit.
Describe the primary parts of a battery.
Produce and measure voltage and current from a fruit/vegetable battery system.
Determine the circuit set-up and fruit/vegetable for optimal energy production by comparison of power (calculated) generated by fruits/vegetables using the formula used to calculate power.

Educational Standards Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) , a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g. , by state; within source by type; e.g. , science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc .

Ngss: next generation science standards - science.

NGSS Performance Expectation
HS-PS3-5. Develop and use a model of two objects interacting through electric or magnetic fields to illustrate the forces between objects and the changes in energy of the objects due to the interaction. (Grades 9 - 12) Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback!


This activity focuses on the following aspects of NGSS:
Science & Engineering Practices	Disciplinary Core Ideas	Crosscutting Concepts
Develop and use a model based on evidence to illustrate the relationships between systems or between components of a system. Alignment agreement: Thanks for your feedback!	When two objects interacting through a field change relative position, the energy stored in the field is changed. Alignment agreement: Thanks for your feedback!	Cause and effect relationships can be suggested and predicted for complex natural and human designed systems by examining what is known about smaller scale mechanisms within the system. Alignment agreement: Thanks for your feedback!

NGSS Performance Expectation
MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved. (Grades 6 - 8) Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback!


This activity focuses on the following aspects of NGSS:
Science & Engineering Practices	Disciplinary Core Ideas	Crosscutting Concepts
Develop a model to generate data to test ideas about designed systems, including those representing inputs and outputs. Alignment agreement: Thanks for your feedback!	Models of all kinds are important for testing solutions. Alignment agreement: Thanks for your feedback! The iterative process of testing the most promising solutions and modifying what is proposed on the basis of the test results leads to greater refinement and ultimately to an optimal solution. Alignment agreement: Thanks for your feedback!

Common Core State Standards - Math

View aligned curriculum

Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback!

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology

State standards, new jersey - math, new jersey - science.

For the teacher, selected videos are provided to assist with the activity:

How Batteries Work by TED-Ed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OVtk6G2TnQ
How to Make a Lemon Battery by SciShow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhbuhT1GDpI (3:21-min; video about fruit batteries)
Projector and computer to show the YouTube videos on battery technology

Each group needs:

two or three different types of fruits, such as a lemon, orange, grapefruit or a vegetables, such as, a potato, cucumber (or a pickle), or onion
penny or copper strip
galvanized zinc nail or screw
folded strip of aluminum foil
3 wires with alligator clips attached
2 coated electrical wires
disposable gloves (1 pair per student)
Student Lab Handout

In addition to the materials listed above, students should have access to the following items either at their group table or in a centralized location in the classroom:

calculators
breadboard (optional)
cleaning materials (such as cleaning cloths or paper towels)

Students should:

Have a basic understanding of circuits.
Be able to identify independent and dependent variables.
Know how to graph information provided in a table.
Know how to compose a testable hypothesis.

Small electronic devices such as cell phones, tablets, and hand-held digital media players are ever-present in our lives, and are practically an indispensable tool for communication. These devices are always on (think about the last time you turned off your device and put it away) and we are engaged with them all the time. How do you feel when your phone has 10% or even 5% of battery life left, and you aren’t able to charge it?

While we understand the importance of power and energy in our lives, how it is produced and transferred to operate electrical devices is not always transparent. In this activity, we will learn about the primary components used in an electrochemical cell, like a battery, and will fabricate our own batteries! We will measure key battery performance characteristics such as voltage and current, and plot the power of produced by cells in series or current. We will also learn how to create our own circuit to power an LED light and design a system to produce enough power to turn on a cell phone.

How is this activity related to engineering? We will learn how to design electrochemical cells using household materials and analyze the cells performance via measurement of current and voltage as material science, electrical and chemical engineering professionals. In the activity, we will also calculate the theoretical voltage of cells and compare these values with experimental values that they measure from their experiments. In addition to examining the performance of the cells by graphically by plotting the current and voltage of battery systems as a function of cell configuration, we will perform a parametric analysis in the engineering design cycle to determine the best configuration and design of battery

Students learn about batteries and how mathematical models can be used to describe the behavior of battery cells. In this activity, students will produce batteries from household materials using fruits and vegetables as electrolyte material and metal materials as anode and cathodes, calculate the theoretical voltage of various types of cells, measure current and voltage from cells and use mathematical relationships to predict how different configurations of batteries can increase voltage or current for powering an LED light. Students will pretend to be shipped wrecked on a deserted island where they need to produce light for rescue teams to find them. The goal of the project is for students to design a system to turn on an LED light. This activity is broken up into three main parts.

Before the Activity

The teacher should present the following scenario to the class and introduce the Pre-Activity Discussion Questions .

Present the following question to the students: Have you ever been out with your friends or running errands with a parent and your cell phone ‘died’ and you thought “Oh no!? What can I do now?” Then to make the moment worse, you find that you’ve forgotten your charger somewhere. Explain to students that many of the electronics that we carry with us today like our cell phones and iPads require power. Ask them to discuss in a classroom format or in groups the Pre-Activity Discussion Questions .

After discussing the Pre-Activity questions, explain that they will be doing an activity allows students to learn about batteries and incorporate math in the analysis of the batteries. Students will produce different batteries using different fruits and vegetables as the electrolyte and various metals as anode/cathode materials with the goal of determining the optimal electrolyte/anode/cathode active materials. They will compare their experimental measurement of voltage with theoretical calculations of the voltage potential using the Equation 1, where V oxid is the oxidation reaction and V reduc is the reduction reaction.

V theor = V oxid - V reduc (1)

Students will determine the amount of electrical energy that various foods produce. Electrical measurements are taken so an electrical power value is calculated. That data is subsequently graphed and analyzed. The findings from the data analysis informs the students how to configure circuits made of the foods evaluated to achieve the desired which are tested for the amount of electrical energy produced from each. The results are used to determine an optimal circuit design which is capable of producing sufficient electrical energy to power a small electrical device.

After students have completed the discussion questions, begin to discuss the parts of a battery system and circuit.

As the following question: Does anyone know how a battery works? Show the video that describes the primary components in a battery, anode, cathode, and electrolyte, and how they to work together in producing power from the flow of electrons from in oxidation/reduction reactions.

How Batteries Work by TED-Ed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OVtk6G2TnQ (describes how batteries work)

After watching the video describing how batteries work, review battery fundamentals and types (see Figure 1) with the class described below.

A photograph showing commonly used batteries of various styles and supplying voltage.

What is a Battery?

A battery is a standalone electrochemical unit (often called a cell) that has the potential to supply energy by converting chemical energy into electrical energy. The materials in the battery, such as the cathode, anode, electrolyte and the way in which they are configured within the battery (design) influence the amount of power that a battery can provide.

Electrical energy is a form of energy resulting from the flow of an electric charge (positive or negative) (electrons). Keep in mind that electrons flow because there is a force acting on the electrons. The energy carried by flowing electrons depends on the force inducing the flow and the distance traveled. Electrons are inherently attracted to positive charge and will travel towards positive charge if a pathway exists.

General concepts to review prior to having students do the activity.

Batteries consist of chemical substances that react to either release or consume an electron. These types of reactions are called oxidation-reduction reactions as shown in Figure 2, that when added together using Equation (1) can be used to compute the theoretical voltage delivered by an electrochemical cell.

Example of two half-cell reactions, an oxidation and reduction reaction, where the sum of the theoretical voltage potential of the cell is 1.100V.

Key components in a battery are described below and illustrated in Figure 3.
They store electrical energy for on-demand use.
Batteries have three key components all housed in a single container: a chemical substance that supplies electrons, a chemical substance that is a receiver of electrons, and a fluid composed of charged chemical constituents referred to as an electrolyte.
The chemical substances supplying and receiving charge (+)/electrons are accessed through exposed conductive tips which are referred to as terminals; through these terminals electrical energy is extracted from the battery when charge (positive)/electrons flow along a conductive pathway between the two substances, that is an electrical circuit.
The electrolyte fluid within the battery has 3 primary functions essential for the operation of a battery: i) keeps charge flowing through the battery system, ii) ensures no net charge builds up in the battery even though chemical reactions are occurring that result in the formation of charged species and iii) enables electrical connectivity between the 2 types of chemical substances.
Typically the chemical substance that supplies electrons is a metal referred to generically as an electrode, specifically as the anode .
The anode is where the oxidation reaction occurs; the chemical substance making up the anode itself is oxidized, and the released electron(s) travel(s) through the external circuit to arrive at the cathode due to the attractive pull of the (+) cathode.
Typically the chemical substance that receives the electrons is a metal as well referred to generically also as an electrode, more specifically as the cathode .
The cathode is where the reduction reaction occurs; the chemical substance making up the cathode can itself be reduced by the action of the arriving electron(s) which traveled through the external circuit due to the attractive pull of the (+) cathode, or the electrons can be passed to a charged species in the electrolyte solution.
Remember that negative charges exit the anode ; for a battery this terminal is always negative.
Remember that the cathode terminal is positive which attracts negative charges; for a battery this terminal is always positive.
The external circuit formed by making a conductive connection between the two terminals allows for charge (+)/electrons flow which compels the oxidation-reduction chemical reaction to occur enabled by the charge balancing action of the electrolyte.

A photograph showing an exemplary circuit configured using fruit (lemons), copper (penny), and zinc (nail) connected to a multimeter.

With the Students

After reviewing the background information, propose the scenario provided in the Student Lab Handout to establish the engineering problem the students are going to solve in the activity.

Pose the following scenario to the class: Suppose you and your class have taken a school trip on a cruise and a hurricane pushes your ship onto the shore. Within minutes you and your class discover that the you have lost power to your ship and must leave the ship to see if there are any people on the island who may be able to assist you with getting back home. After walking around on the island you and your classmates realize that the island is uninhabited and that you need to be rescued before your fresh water supplies and food are depleted. You decide that you need to power LED lights to alert a local rescue team to come to save you.
You have a few items at your disposal to assist you in powering the LED lights such as fruit and vegetable, and wires. You will be tasked with making your own batteries from household supplies and designing an optimal circuit that you hope will eventually be used to power a LED light. In this activity, we will see if we can provide enough power for our cell phone or an LED light using our engineering skills, which will require us to know about mathematical relationships between the variables: current and voltage and power production from battery cells.
Explain to the students that they will be constructing batteries from fruits and vegetables. Play the video illustrating how to construct fruit batteries: How to Make a Lemon Battery by SciShow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhbuhT1GDpI .
After watching the video pass out the Student Lab Handout to the students. In the handout, students will be asked to formulate hypotheses regarding the optimal electrolyte, distance between anode/cathode and battery configuration to power an LED light.
As put forth in their hypotheses, instruct students to assemble the proposed electrical circuits using the evaluated fruits and/or vegetables. Students will test their hypothesis with measurements of the current and voltage delivered from each cell.
Students will first begin by determining the optimal electrolyte by varying fruits, and then determine the best anode and cathode materials. They will plot the results in tables.
The general set up for a battery cell is shown in Figure 4. In addition to testing different anode/cathode and electrolyte materials, students will be asked to configure their batteries in series, which adds the voltage of each cell as shown in Figure 5 and batteries in parallel to add current as shown in Figure 6.
Once determining the best cell materials, they will calculate the relationship between cells in series and parallel to determine the optimal configuration of cells to power the LED light. Students will also use Equation (1) to calculate the theoretical voltage of each cell given materials used for anode and cathode. A table of common electrode reactions is provided in Figure 7.
Remind students that when calculating the theoretical voltage, the reactions must be oriented in the correct direction, i.e. in oxidation reactions, electrons are released and the voltage is positive and in reduction reactions, electrons are added for the reaction to be positive. So, reactions presented as negative in the Figure 6 must be arranged properly for the correct half reaction to proceed and the theoretical calculation to be correct.
Students will use their data to design the optimal battery configuration to power a LED light. The teacher can assist the students in reviewing the charging requirements of specific LED lights.

A photograph showing an exemplary potato battery.

circuit: Path in which electrons from a voltage or current source flow.

current: A flow of electric charge is measured in units of Amperes (Amp). Symbol for current is usually, I.

dependent variable: Variable (often denoted by y ) whose value depends on that of another.

independent variable: Variable (often denoted by x ) whose variation does not depend on that of another.

power : Energy that is produced by mechanical, electrical, or other means and used to operate a device. The symbol for power is P. Power may be calculated using the equation, P = I  V.

voltage: An electromotive force or potential difference expressed in Volts (V). The symbol for voltage is usually, V.

Pre-Activity Assessment

Discussion Questions: Students learn about how they interact with electrochemical cells like batteries in their everyday lives by doing the Pre-Activity Discussion Questions and watching a video showing a woman have a tantrum when her cell phone loses its power when riding a train.

The teacher will introduce students to electrochemical batteries via a video, How Batteries Work by TED-Ed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OVtk6G2TnQ and in-class discussion of battery operation, battery vocabulary and mathematical functions that allow students to calculate power.

An overview of critical vocabulary and battery fundamental components is provided in this document. After the teacher reviews to key concepts pertaining to batteries, students will watch a video about fruit batteries, How to Make a Lemon Battery by SciShow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhbuhT1GDpI .

Activity-Embedded Assessment

Handout: A handout detailing the steps in the activity is provided in the Student Lab Handout .

Post-Activity Assessment

Post-Quiz: Following the activity, students will complete the Post-Activity Quiz .

Can sufficient electrical energy be achieved in an electrical circuit configured using fruit and/or vegetables to yield sufficient power to increase the charge level of a cell phone battery a bar or more? (Answer: Yes, if enough fruits are used, like using 30 lemons connected in series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phSbh4Rt0PY )

Safety Issues

Be aware of student food allergies.

Have students wear gloves when executing the activity.

Have students wipe their work area clean using a wet cloth to cleanse any food residue from the surfaces.

Be mindful of how the alligator clips are positioned, including the negative/positive placements.

Be sure that multimeters are functioning. Have a few resistors of known resistance (1 ohm, 10 ohm, etc.) available to be used to confirm that the current measurements obtained from the multimeter are valid.

If the LED bulb does not light up, make sure it is connected in the right direction (the longer wire should be connected to the positive side of the battery).

Students learn that charge movement through a circuit depends on the resistance and arrangement of the circuit components. In one associated hands-on activity, students build and investigate the characteristics of series circuits. In another activity, students design and build flashlights.

preview of 'Circuits: One Path for Electricity' Lesson

Students learn about current electricity and necessary conditions for the existence of an electric current. Students construct a simple electric circuit and a galvanic cell to help them understand voltage, current and resistance.

preview of 'Electrons on the Move' Lesson

Students are introduced to several key concepts of electronic circuits. They learn about some of the physics behind circuits, the key components in a circuit and their pervasiveness in our homes and everyday lives.

How Does Fruit Conduct Electricity?

Fruits contain acids that act as salt bridges to conduct electricity. Electricity is conducted by transferring electrons in a chain from one point to another to produce current. The acids found in fruits and vegetables, such as the citric acid in citrus fruit, help facilitate this electron transfer.

The study of electricity and chemistry is known as electrochemistry and includes electrical conduction and production. The specific reaction that occurs in fruit that allows it to conduct electricity is an oxidation-reduction reaction, also known as a redox reaction. In redox reactions, electrons are transferred from one compound to another. When this process is repeated in a chain series, electricity is produced.

The two types of cells that can facilitate electrochemical redox reactions are galvanic cells and electrolytic cells. Galvanic cells are spontaneous and are used as batteries, while electrolytic cells are nonspontaneous and require electricity to initiate the redox reaction. Both types of cells have two oppositely charged electrodes known as the cathode and anode that facilitate the oxidation and reduction reactions independently.

The fruit battery experiment that demonstrates the electrical conductivity of fruit is simulating a galvanic cell. Just like any galvanic cell, two galvanic metal electrodes and conductive wiring connected between the two points is required to produce an electrical current.

Using fruits and vegetables to produce electricity

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Electricity and Magnetism: What Are They & Why Are They Important?

What Fruits & Vegetables Conduct Electricity?

Science Project on Electricity in a Potato

Fruits and vegetables contain important vitamins and minerals human bodies need to survive and maintain themselves properly. However, interestingly, these same fruits and vegetables also contain a large amount of water and, thus, can in some cases conduct electricity well. Other ingredients such as citric acid and ascorbic acid increase the conductivity, and in some cases, the acidic content is high enough to create voltage that can power small electronics.

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Many fruits and vegetables can conduct electricity and, in some cases, even create an electric current that can power small electronics.

Vegetable Electricity Conductors

Potatoes, onions, and tomatoes conduct electricity quite well. Tomatoes (not vegetables, strictly-speaking ) are good conductors in the vegetable category, as they have the highest acidity level. Scientists have show potatoes work very well as batteries. Acids make ions, charged particles when placed in a solution like, water, which many types of fruits and vegetables contain in abundance.

Fruit Electricity Conductors

Citrus fruits work as excellent conductors due, again, to their high acidity level and the presence of water within them. Some notable examples of good conductors include:

Making a Circuit with Produce

When a fruit or vegetable is connected with electrodes in a circuit, the fruit or vegetable serves as the battery to complete the circuit. Some of them can even power small light bulbs for a time. Some researchers have shown that boiling a potato for around eight minutes can increase its capacity as a battery 10 times compared to a raw potato. Sandwiching a quarter of a boiled potato between a copper cathode and a zinc anode can power a lightbulb for 40 days.

Current and Voltage

Perhaps not surprisingly, several pieces of fruit or vegetables connected in a parallel circuit creates a higher current. If the fruit or vegetables are connected in a series arrangement, the voltage is increased. This, in turn, can be used to power increasingly complex machines and electronics like a wristwatch.

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Mad Scientist: Why Do Potatoes Conduct More Electricity Than Lemons?
Smithsonian Magazine: A Potato Battery Can Light Up a Room For Over a Month
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Q & A: Fruit Batteries
North Carolina State University: Food Battery

About the Author

Amanda Ballard Coates is a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) and a member of the American Association of Professional Coders. She is also a freelance writer and photographer. She writes mostly nonfiction and has been published on several informative websites. Ballard Coates' writing has been published on websites such as Healthmad.com, Quazen.com, Gomestic.com and Socyberty.com.

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IMAGES

Electrical conductivity fruit tests
Fruit-Power Battery
Electrical Conductivity fruits vegetables +18 Super experiments
Lemon battery
Why Do Citrus Fruits Conduct Electricity? The Surprising Truth
Shnutez's Fruit and Electricity Experiment

VIDEO

எலுமிச்சைல இந்த "LED" லைட் எப்படி எரியுது?
Experiment 3 Part 1
easy science experiment ||with fruit 🥭 #expeiment #viral #trending #experiment #trending #ritikvlog7
Salt water increases Conductivity💡 #science #experiment #saltwater #electricity #schoolscience
Series Circuit Working Model
Water Conductivity

COMMENTS

How to Use a Multimeter to Test the Electrical Charge in Fruits
A simple and popular experiment for students is to test the electrical charges produced from various fruits and vegetables. In fact, the fruit or vegetable does not create a charge at all. The combination of using two different metals and the conductivity of the juice of the fruit or vegetable allows for current to flow.
Why Do Some Fruits and Vegetables Conduct Electricity?
These ionic solutions are called electrolytes and can be found in every living thing. Because of this, technically, any fruit or vegetable could become an ionic conductor, but some are better at ...
Generate Electricity with a Lemon Battery
Procedure. Place the lemon on its side on a plate and have an adult carefully use the knife to make a small cut near the middle of the lemon (away from either end). Make the cut about two ...
How to Produce Electricity From Different Fruits & Vegetables
Push one copper rod and one steel rod into each fruit or vegetable you plan to test. The rods should stick straight up and be as close to the ends of the produce pieces as possible. The rods should slide about halfway into the produce. Clip one alligator clip wire to each copper and steel rod. The other ends of the wires should hang loose.
Fruit Battery Power Science Fair Project
1. Prepare your fruit for the experiment by squeezing it on all sides with your hands. Make sure not to squeeze too tightly and break the skin! The idea is to soften the fruit enough so that the juice inside are flowing. 2. Insert your nails into the fruit, approximately 2 inches apart from one another.
PDF Experiment 1/5 Beginner Fruit Battery
Procedures are listed in clear steps. Each step i. Ability to explain the reaction between fruits and their conductivity Demonstrate clear understanding of the reaction between fruits and their conductivity. 3. Procedures are listed in a logical order, but steps are not num-bered and/or are not in complete sentences. Demonstrate clear. 2.
Fruit Battery
In this science fair project, construct batteries from various fruits and test them to see which one will produce the most electric current. Then, determine if it would be practical to use fruit as a natural source for generating electricity. An electric current is a flow of electrons and is measured in units called amperes or "amps."
Lemon and Potato Battery Experiment
EXPERIMENT STEPS. Step 1: Cut 2 small slits in the skin of both the lemon and the potato. Make the slits are a few inches apart. Step 2: Push the copper and zinc strips into the slits in each piece of produce. Make sure the rods do not touch each other. Step 3: Connect an electrical wire to the end of each metal strip.
Fruit Battery Science Experiment
Fruit Battery Science Experiment Directions. 1. Roll the fruit around on the counter to get the juices flowing. 2. Insert the piece of copper into the fruit. 3. Insert the nail into the fruit at least an inch away from the piece of copper. If you insert them at an angle, make sure that the pieces do not touch each other inside the fruit.
PDF Electrical Conductivity of Three Types of Fruit Groups
Electrical Conductivity of Three Types of Fruit Groups J0719 Objectives/Goals The objective was to determine if there is a difference in the electrical conductivity of sweet fruits, subacid fruits, and acid fruits. Methods/Materials The materials and equipment used are Bananas, Dates, Papayas, Prunes, Apples, Guavas, Nectarines,
Fruit Battery Science Projects: Making Light With Fruit
Basic Fruit Battery. A basic fruit battery can be made using a fresh lemon. While other fruits can be used, the high acidity of citrus fruits makes them the best for these experiments. Roll the lemon gently on the table to activate the juices, being careful not to break the skin. Cut two small slices, 1/2 inch apart, in the lemon and insert a ...
Powering a Device Using Food
Like engineers, in this activity students use the process of data collection and analysis to design an electrical circuit that incorporates various fruits and vegetables that can deliver sufficient electrical energy to power a small electrical device. Students employ an engineering design process when using their data to redesign their circuits ...
Electrolyte Challenge: Orange Juice Vs. Sports Drink
The fruit juice and sports drinks will then have conductances that are multiples of the tap water's conductance. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) If you are having trouble with this project, please read the FAQ below. ... When the experiment is set up as described, but the two sensor wires (in the liquid) touch, it will blow the fuse, so be ...
Electrical conductivity fruit tests
#Roobert33 NOTICE: replicate this experiment can be very dangerous. In this experiment, it highlights the difference in electrical conductivity between the v...
PDF Sukhdeep Singh J1820
Sukhdeep Singh. Energy Fruit. J1820. Objectives/Goals Question: What fruit or vegetable is the best conductor of electricity? The avocado will be the best conductor of electricity because of the high amount of iron. Methods/Materials Materials/Methods: I used a voltmeter, copper wire, wire cutters, galvanized nails, and alligator clips on ...
How Does Fruit Conduct Electricity?
The fruit battery experiment that demonstrates the electrical conductivity of fruit is simulating a galvanic cell. Just like any galvanic cell, two galvanic metal electrodes and conductive wiring connected between the two points is required to produce an electrical current.
Which fruit or vegetable conducts electricity the best?
Grade level: Elementary School - Grades 4-6. Academic Level: Ordinary. Project Type: Experimental. Cost: Low. Awards: 2nd place, Canada Wide Virtual Science Fair (2003) Affiliation: Canada Wide Virtual Science Fair (VSF) Year: 2003. Description: Different fruits and vegetables were tested for pH and for AC and DC voltage and conductivity with a ...
Using fruits and vegetables to produce electricity
Q. Hello, Thank you for taking this question and for your help. I am conducting a science experiment where I am conducting electricity with fruit. I cleaned a zinc strip and copper wire with 00 steel wool ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links].Then I inserted the zinc and copper into fruit (lemon, lime and orange) about 1 inch apart.
(PDF) Determination of electric and dielectric conductivity of fruits
dependence of the specific electrical conductivity of crushed fruits, plums, apples, and carrot s on the EMF voltage are o btained. The specif ic electrical. conductivity at cm is a maximum of 0. ...
Conducting electricity through fruit by Yaroslav Loginov on Prezi
Conducting electricity through fruit by Yaroslav Loginov on Prezi. Blog. April 18, 2024. Use Prezi Video for Zoom for more engaging meetings. April 16, 2024. Understanding 30-60-90 sales plans and incorporating them into a presentation.
What Fruits & Vegetables Conduct Electricity?
Vegetable Electricity Conductors. Potatoes, onions, and tomatoes conduct electricity quite well. Tomatoes (not vegetables, strictly-speaking ) are good conductors in the vegetable category, as they have the highest acidity level. Scientists have show potatoes work very well as batteries. Acids make ions, charged particles when placed in a ...
Review on Electrical Conductivity in Food, the Case in Fruits and
conductivity of the fruit i n an experiment by literature [16]. They explained that the phenomenon to be related to the presence of fats, oils and sugar components which can reduce
PDF Variation in Electrical Conductivity of Selected Fruit Juices During
Abstract. Measurements and modeling of electrical conductivity (EC) of selected fruit juices were done during continuous ohmic heating. Ten-cm long acrylic heating cell with 3.8 cm internal ...