Home >> Science & Nature >> Science

How to Make a Light Bulb Light Up With a Potato for Kids

Batteries function by using an electrolyte substance to transfer ions between an anode and cathode terminal. Similar to the batteries that power electronic devices, potato batteries use the phosphoric acid in a potato as an electrolyte that moves ions between a copper penny and zinc nail in order to create electricity. Although this concept may seem too complicated for kids to learn, making a bulb light up with a potato battery is a fun, safe and simple project that you can do with kids to teach them about the seemingly complex electrical and chemical principles that make batteries work.

Things You'll Need

Large Russet potato
Vegetable peeler
Penny
Galvanized steel nail
Electrical wire
Electrical tape
Small low-current LED light

Instructions

- 1
  Peel the potato with a vegetable peeler. Do not leave any skin on the potato, as this may diminish the strength of the battery̵7;s electrical current.
- 2
  Insert the penny into one side of the potato. Make sure that the penny is positioned, so that both sides of the coin are making full contact with the potato. Push the penny into the potato, so that one half of it sticks out.
- 3
  Push the galvanized steel nail into the opposite side of the potato. Make sure that the top half is sticking out. The nail should not be touching the penny, as this will prevent the electrical current from flowing through the potato.
- 4
  Wrap a small piece of electrical wire around the penny. Leave at least three-quarters-inch of wire sticking out at the end. You may need to secure the wire with some electrical tape if it does not stay wrapped around the penny without being held there. Be sure that the electrical tape does not make contact with the potato.
- 5
  Wrap a different piece of electrical wire around the galvanized steel nail. Leave at least three-quarters-inch of wire sticking out at the end.
- 6
  Wrap the end of the piece of electrical wire attached to the penny around the longer LED pin.
- 7
  Wrap the end of the piece of electrical wire attached to the galvanized steel nail around the shorter LED pin. If the LED does not emit any light after you do this, you may need to switch the electrical wires, so that the wire attached to the penny is wrapped around the shorter pin and the wire attached to the nail is wrapped around the longer pin.

Science