Thanksgiving is just around the corner and it’s family time. As you are waiting for the turkey to cook and have some downtime, why not have some fun in the kitchen. It does not take much to create fun experiments, and learn at the same time. Over the next few days we will present to you our favorite kitchen science experiments for curious minds, big and small.
Potato Battery
Believe it or not, the potato has the capacity to create enough electrochemical energy to power a small digital clock. The trace amount of acid and salt in the potato serves as an electrolyte and makes an excellent conductor.
What You Need:
- 2 potatoes (or one potato cut in half)
- 2 short pieces of copper wire
- 2 galvanized nails
- 3 alligator clips
- Piece of sandpaper or steel wool
- Low-voltage LED clock or watch
What You Do:
- Have your child remove the battery from the battery compartment of the clock or watch.
- Ask her to number the potatoes as "1" and "2."
- Insert one nail into each potato, as well as the copper wire.
- Have her use one alligator clip to connect the copper wire in potato number 1 to the positive (+) terminal in the clock's battery compartment.
- Use the other alligator clip to connect the nail in potato number 2 to the negative (-) terminal in the clock's battery compartment.
- Use the third alligator clip to connect the nail in potato 1 to the copper wire in potato 2. See what happens?
If you want to can try experimenting with different objects; will a lemon power the clock? How about an orange?
Tomorrow, we’ll bring you the popular table top volcano. Messy experiments are the best.
