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MAKE A BATTERY WITH LEMONS!

WHAT YOULL NEED:
2 fresh lemons 3 copper wires with alligator clips on each end

SCIENCE 101
2 metal paper clips 2 pennies Voltmeter or multimeter Digital clock or timer
M S M S

It's time to hit the books again. And to give you a start on your studies, here's a science class primer.

Knife

Start/st op

WHAT to do:

1 2 3 4 5 6

Roll the lemons around on a table to loosen the pulp inside Using a knife, carefully make 2 small slits an inch or two apart on each lemon Insert one paper clip halfway into each lemon Insert one penny halfway into the second slit of each lemon Attach an alligator clip to the penny in lemon 1 and attach the other end to the paper clip in lemon 2 The penny is a positive electrode while the paper clip is negative. Attach another wire to the paper clip in lemon 1 and the third wire to the penny in lemon 2. Check the voltage by connecting the ends of the wires to the voltmeter.

Paper clip
Lemon 1

Paper clip
Penny Lemon 2 Penny

how does it happen?

The outer coating of zinc on steel paper clips is oxidized, so they become negatively charged. As electrons flow from the zinc to the pennies, the copper in the pennies becomes positively charged. The lemons provide the liquid electrolyte that completes the circuit.

Pop Quiz
Think hard...
1: You see your reflectio a) Light is absorbed c) Light is reflected n in a mirror because: b) Light is diffracted d) Light is refracted

, length of a guitar string 2: When you increase the duced becomes: ed that is pro the pitch or vibration spe d) Lower c) Higher b) Softer a) Louder tant functions of 3: One of the most impor they: in an ecosystem is that micro-organisms anisms a) Decompose dead org animals it the number of large b) Lim the sun's energy c) Produce food using animals d) Provide food for large use to best material you could 4: Which would be the separate heat from cold? d) Wood c) Glass b) Iron a) Steel 4.d Answers: 1.c; 2.d; 3.a;

Start/stop

Remove the battery from the digital clock or timer. There will be two wire contacts in the battery holder the centre one is negative and the one to the side is positive.

8 clips from the

Remove the alligator voltmeter and connect them to the digital clock or timer. Do not let the alligator clips touch one another!

A lemon-powered clock or timer!

TA-DA!

Sources: sciencemuse.com

SUSAN BATSFORD, GRAPHICS EDITOR, TWITTER @SBATS1; INFOGRAPHIC BY MEGAN DINNER/QMI AGENCY