Hobbies And Interests
Neon Bulbs
Light bulbs come in many sizes. Some of the very smallest bulbs are neon bulbs, which use only a miniscule amount of electricity. Use copper tape to tape the wires of a neon bulb to a craft stick, spreading the wires on the bulb so that one wire is at one end of the stick and the other is at the other end. Hold one end of the stick, scuff your feet across the floor, then touch the other end to a metal object, like a doorknob. The bulb lights. This illustrates several important concepts; for instance, static electricity is essentially the same as any other electricity, and a complete circuit is needed to light the light bulb, as it only lights when the other end touches a conductive object. You can use other methods of generating static electricity to expand the experiment and see which methods are most effective, but never put the stick and light bulb into an electric socket.
Ions
Most people think of water as being a good conductor of electricity. In reality, it is a very poor conductor. The substances dissolved in water conduct the electricity. To demonstrate this, pour some distilled water into a glass. Bend two pieces of copper wire so they each have a hook at one end, then put the wires on each side of the glass, hooks over the lip and wires in the water. Attach one end of an alligator clip lead to one end of a D battery and the other end of the lead to the hook on one wire. Attach another alligator clip lead from a light bulb in a socket designed for electricity experiments to the other end of the battery, and a third lead from the light bulb to the other wire's hook. Nothing should happen. Disconnect the leads from the battery, mix some salt into the water, then reattach them to the battery. The salt dissolves into ions, allowing the electricity to flow through the water and light the bulb.
Making Lightbulbs
Punch two small holes into a small piece of cork. Take two lengths of insulated copper wire and strip some of the insulation from either end of both wires. Push one end of each wire through the holes in the cork, leaving most of the wire on one side of the cork and about an inch on the other side. Twist together several small pieces of iron wire, then form a small hook on the short end of each copper wire to hold the iron wires in place. The iron is your bulb filament. Put the cork over the mouth of a small glass jar, like a baby food jar, with the short ends of the copper wires and iron filament on the inside. Attach the other end of each copper wire to a 6-volt battery, one on the positive end and one on the negative end of the battery. The light bulb should light. Try other items as the filament to see what happens and if you can create a stronger glow.
Lemon Light
Many fruits and vegetables contain chemicals that are suitable for generating electricity. Obtain a large lemon, then put a zinc-coated galvanized screw or nail in one and and a copper screw or nail in the other. Use a small neon bulb or LED light and wrap one wire from the light around one screw or nail and one around the other. The light bulb lights. This is due to a chemical reaction between the acid and the metal, which causes electron movement within the lemon. To expand the experiment, try the same setup with different fruits and vegetables, such as potatoes or tomatoes. Explore these to determine which produces electricity most readily.