Electric Lemon
This science activity uses a lemon, a paper clip, and some copper wire to demonstrate a battery's function.
By: Trish Kuffner, author of The Children's Busy Book
Electric Lemon
This activity demonstrates how batteries generate electricity.
Materials
- Metal paper clip
- Lemon
- Length of copper wire
Directions
- Have your child straighten the paper clip and insert one end into the lemon.
- Remove any insulation from both ends of the copper wire and insert one end into the lemon.
- Hold the exposed ends of the paper clip and the wire and touch both of them to your tongue at the same time. You'll feel a tingling sensation caused by electricity.
- How does this work? You've created an electric battery. A battery needs two kinds of metal plus an acid.
- The paper clip and wire provide the metals, and the lemon provides citric acid.
- Water conducts electricity, so your wet tongue completes the electric circuit when you touch the wires to it.