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Instructions for a Potato Clock

While potato clocks are great tools for teaching about electricity, circuit building and conductivity, their most important lesson might be to dare to dream. Potato batteries wouldn't exist if someone somewhere didn't get a "crazy" idea that potatoes could be sources of electrical power. If someone ever laughs at your ideas or ambitions, build a potato clock and think of what people must have said to its inventor. On its watch, you'll never have the time to let such negativity get you down.

Things You'll Need

2 potatoes
2 short pieces of heavy copper wire
2 galvanized nails
3 alligator clip/wire units
1 simple low-voltage LED clock that functions from a 1- to 2-volt button-type battery

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the battery from the clock's battery compartment.
- 2
  Insert a galvanized nail into each potato.
- 3
  Insert one piece of copper wire into the side of each potato opposite the nails. The wires should be as far from the nails as possible.
- 4
  Use an alligator clip to connect the copper wire in one potato to the positive (+) terminal in the clock's battery compartment.
- 5
  Take another alligator clip to connect the nail in the other potato to the negative (-) terminal in the clock's battery compartment.
- 6
  Connect the nail in the first potato to the copper wire in the second with the third alligator clip.
- 7
  Set the clock.

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