Your battery can generate electricity but will only do so when the electrodes are connected with something that conducts electricity.Do you think this battery is generating electricity or is there still something missing? You have just made a battery! It has two electrodes made of different metals and an electrolyte separating them.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? 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.Why do you think is it important for part of the penny to be in contact with the lemon juice?
Note: If your lemon has a very thick skin, you might need an adult to carefully cut away some lemon peel. This copper penny in contact with the lemon juice serves as your first electrode. Part of the penny should be in contact with the lemon juice because that is what serves as the electrolyte.
This difference is what generates electricity. This ensures one will react differently than the other with the electrolyte. For a battery to work well, the electrodes must be made up of two different types of materials. The reaction typically occurs between two pieces of metal, called electrodes, and a liquid or paste, called an electrolyte. They depend on an electrochemical reaction to do this. Try this activity and it might just charge your imagination!īatteries are containers that store chemical energy, which can be converted to electrical energy-or what we call electricity. 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. In 1800 Alessandro Volta invented the first battery, and scientists have been hard at work ever since improving previous designs. 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.
#Electric lemon portable
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.