Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Place a lemon on the work surface; the lemon will form the base of the battery. Use the palm of your hand and push down on the lemon. Roll the lemon gently to soften it.
Cut two 6-inch strips of bare, thin copper wire, using a knife. If you do not have bare wire, use plastic-coated wire and remove a half-inch of plastic from the ends using wire strippers.
Wrap the end of one strip of wire around the top of the copper nail. This will be one of the electrodes. Hold the wire in place with a piece of tape. Repeat the process using the other strip of wire, but attach the end to the top of the zinc nail and wrap a strip of tape around it. This will be the second electrode.
Position the lemon lengthwise in front of you. Push the end of the copper nail into the lemon about three-quarter inch from the center. Insert about 1 inch of the nail.
Push the end of the zinc nail into the lemon about 1 inch from the copper nail. The two nails must not touch each other. The copper and zinc nails are now the electrodes and will react with the acidity of the lemon to produce a small amount of electricity.
Place the free ends of the wires onto the terminals on the light bulb. It does not matter which terminals the wires connect to. The light bulb will illuminate because you have made an electrical circuit using the two electrodes and the lemon.