• A hard-boiled egg
• A clear long neck bottle
• 3 matches
• Adult help/supervision

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  First you’ll need to hard boil the egg.  Let the egg cool and then peel the shell off of it.  Next, grab your bottle and your adult.  Take the 3 matches and light them all at the same time and drop them in the bottom of the bottle.  When the flames go out, place the egg gently on top of the bottle (at the mouth).  Observe what happens next.

By burning the air inside the bottle, it also decreases the pressure inside the bottle causing the egg to decrease in size.  Eggs are not solids.  They have air pockets in them sort of like sponges do.  When the egg decreases in size it becomes a solid, which in turn, allows it to slide through the opening of the bottle.

It’s fun, easy and inexpensive.  Please make sure there is adult supervision when doing this experiment.

First you need to gather up all of the materials you will need.  Below is a list of the following items needed to conduct this experiment:

• A lemon
• Water
• A knife
• Scissors
• A balloon
• A rubber band
• A mason or jam jar

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  First take the scissors and cut the neck of the balloon off and have an adult remove the lemon peel from the lemon.  Cut a large piece of the lemon peel into the shape of a boat or fish (something water related).  Fill the jar with water and drop your shaped lemon peel into the water.  Stretch the balloon to cover the top of the mason jar and wrap the rubber band around the mouth of the jar to secure the stretched balloon in place.  You want to make sure that the balloon is stretched as tight as possible.  Lightly press down on the balloon cover with your finger.

What happened?  Did the lemon peel dive in the water?  It should have.  And in turn when you release your finger from the balloon cover, the lemon peel should come back up to the surface of the water.  Can you figure out why this happens?  The pressure from your finger squashes the tiny air bubbles inside the lemon peel allowing water in, thus, causing it to dive down in the water.  And when you remove your finger from the balloon cover, the lemon peel will expand and float back up to the surface.  Cool, huh?

• Salt
• Water
• A tablespoon
• Large clear bowl
• Small glass
• Saran wrap
• Sunny day

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  First, you need to look at the weather and make sure that it’s sunny outside and will be the rest of the day.  Grab the large clear bowl and fill it with water.  Take the tablespoon and stir several tablespoons of salt into the water until the salt has dissolved.  Place the small empty glass in the middle of the large clear bowl then cover the bowl completely with saran wrap so that no air can get through.  Leave the bowl out in the sun (preferably for a few days) and observe what happens.

What happened?  Is there fresh water in the small glass?  There should be.  Can you figure out why?  The heat from the sun should form water vapor from the salt water in the bowl on the underside of the saran wrap.  The vapor then condenses on the saran wrap and drips into the small glass in the middle of the bowl as fresh water.  Cool, huh?

This experiment is fun, easy and inexpensive.  You’ll have to be very careful though so you don’t accidentally get soaked…..

First you need to gather up the materials you will need.  Below is a list of the following items needed to conduct this experiment:

• A tall glass filled to the top with water
• A piece of cardboard

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  Put the cardboard over the top of the glass (the mouth of the glass).  You need to be very careful to make sure that there are no air bubbles getting into the glass as you’re holding the cardboard in place.  Turn the glass upside down preferably over a sink or outside in the grass just to make sure you did it right.  Then remove your hand holding the cardboard.

What happened?  If you did everything correctly, the water should move and the cardboard shouldn’t.  The cardboard will stay at the bottom of the glass and the water should stay suspended in the bottom of the upside down glass.  Cool, huh?  Can you figure out how this is all happening?  The air pressure from outside the glass is greater than the water pressure inside the glass (since there is no air inside the glass).   That air pressure manages to hold the cardboard in place and keep the water suspended in the glass defying gravity (while keeping you and your friends dry!).

This experiment is fun, easy and inexpensive.  Make sure to be very careful so you don’t break the egg….. Just remember to have fun!

First you need to gather up the materials you will need.  Below is a list of the following items needed to conduct this experiment:

• A tall glass
• An egg
• Water
• Salt

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  First, you’ll need to pour some water into the glass until it is about half full.  At this point if you dropped the egg into the water it would sink to the bottom.  Next, you’ll stir in a lot of salt – at least 6 tablespoons.  Slowly pour in plain tap water into the glass until the glass is nearly full.  The tap water should sit on top of the salt water.  You need to make sure that the two different types of water don’t get mixed or stirred in any way.  Gently lower the egg into the glass and observe what is happening.

So what’s happening?  If you did everything correctly, the egg should be suspended in the middle of the glass.  Cool, huh?  Can you figure out how this phenomena is happening?  The denser the liquid, the easier it is for an object to float in.  Salt water is much denser than tap water so when the egg is lowered into the glass, it drops through the tap water and rests on top of the salt water making it look like it’s suspended in the middle of the glass.

It’s fun, easy and inexpensive.  It does take a little bit of patience though….. Just remember to have fun!

First you need to gather up the materials you will need.  Below is a list of the following items needed to conduct this experiment:

• A glass of water
• An empty glass
• Paper towels

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  First, you’ll need to twist a couple of pieces of paper towels together.  The twisting of the paper towels should look something like a rope when you’re done.  The rope will act as the wick that absorbs and transfers the water.  Sort of like how the wick of a candle transfers the wax to the flame.  Place one end of the paper towels (the rope) into the glass filled with water and the other end of the paper towels into the empty glass.  This is where the patience comes in….you’ll need to sit and watch for a while to observe what is happening.

So what’s happening?  After a while you’ll notice that the empty glass is starting to fill up with water.  It will keep filling up with water until both glasses have the same amount of water in them.  Your paper towel rope starts getting wet and it starts moving along the tiny gaps in the paper towels.   This occurs because the cohesive forces between the water and the paper towels are stronger than the adhesive forces of the water itself.  Cool, huh?

This whole process is called capillary action and can be applied to other examples as well, such as the way moisture travels in a plant from the roots through the stem up to the rest of the plant.

First you need to gather up all of the materials you will need.  Below is a list of the following items needed to conduct this project:

• A plastic bag (maybe one you’ll get from the grocery store)
• Scissors
• String
• A toy action figure

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  First, you’ll need to cut a large square from your plastic bag.  Then you’ll want to cut the square into an 8-sided shape (an octagon).  Cut a small hole near the edge of each side (you’ll have 8 holes when you’re done).  Cut 8 pieces of string (all the same length) and attach each piece of string to each of the 8 holes.  Then tie the pieces of string to the toy action figure you are going to use as a weight.  Finally, grab a chair or find a high spot to drop your parachute and see how well it worked.  Just remember to drop it slowly.

Hint…… If you cut a small hole in the middle of the parachute, it will allow air to slowly pass through it rather than spilling out over the sides.  This will make the parachute fall in a more straight pattern.



First you need to gather up all of the materials you will need.  Below is a list of the following items needed to conduct this experiment:

• A bowl of water
• A glass bottle with a small mouth opening
• A coin bigger than the mouth opening of the bottle

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  First you will need to fill the bowl with cold water.  Place the neck of the bottle and the coin in the water to get them nice and cold.  You need to do this so that when you place the coin on top of the mouth of the bottle, it forms an airtight seal.  Set the coin on top of the mouth of the bottle and then wrap your warm hands around the bottle.  Wait for a few seconds and observe what’s happening.  Then remove your hands and see what happens next.

What happened?  Did the coin jump?  It should have.  Can you figure out why?  When you wrap your hands around the bottle, the air inside the bottle heats up.  The warm air inside the bottle pushes harder than the cool air outside the bottle which then causes the coin to jump.  When the air inside the bottle cools, the coin will stop jumping.  Cool, huh?

In an alkaline battery, the anode (negative terminal) is made of zinc powder and the cathode (positive terminal) is composed of manganese dioxide. These batteries use potassium hydroxide (KOH) as an electrolyte (the substance that makes the battery electrically conductive).

Most alkaline batteries are made in cylindrical and button forms with the most popular sizes being AA, AAA, C and D. Some are rechargeable but most are not. If you attempt to recharge a non-rechargeable alkaline battery, it could rupture and leak hazardous liquids.

There are two types of NiCd batteries: sealed and vented with the most common type being sealed. These batteries differ from the NiMh batteries because it uses cadmium as it’s negative electrode.

Up until the mid 1990’s, the NiCd batteries were the most popular in consumer electronics. Recently the NiMh and Li-Ion batteries have become more readily available and are cheaper. However the NiCd battery is still the preferred choice of batteries in certain high discharge applications (i.e. power tools) because it can endure the discharge with no damage or loss of capacity.

The positive electrode for this battery is nickel oxide hydroxide and the negative electrode is a hydrogen absorbing alloy. Like alkaline batteries, NiMh batteries can also be found in AA, AAA, C and D sizes. But these batteries are mostly compared with NiCd batteries.

Very popular in today’s society, NiMh batteries are often found in high drain devices such as digital cameras. But because these batteries are re-chargeable, they can also be found in items that need batteries replaced often such as children’s toys and game controllers.

This battery is a rechargeable battery in which lithium ions move back and forth from the negative electrode to the positive electrode. Commonly found in portable electronics, these batteries are very light weight and have no memory effect (the phenomena that causes a battery to hold less of a charge than it’s capable of gradually losing capacity if repeatedly recharged after being only partially discharged).

There are 3 main components of a Lithium-Ion battery. The anode is generally made of carbon, the cathode of metal oxide and the electrolyte of lithium salt in an organic solution. These batteries can be found in a variety of shapes and sizes and have a very low self discharge rate.

First you need to gather up all of the materials you will need. Below is a list of the following items needed to conduct this project:

• 2 D batteries
• 2 5” pieces of #22 copper insulated wire w/ the ends stripped off
• A toilet tissue roll – cut to 4” in length
• A 3 volt flashlight bulb
• 2 brass fasteners
• 1” X 3” cardboard strip
• A paper clip
• Small paper cup
• Tape

Are you ready? Let’s get started. Push the brass fasteners through the tube and attach the paperclip. The paperclip will act as your on/off switch. Attach a wire to each fastener on the inside of the tube. Next, tape your batteries together (+to-) and place inside the tube. Take one end of wire and secure it to the bottom of one battery’s negative terminal. Take other wire and insert it through a hole in the center of the cardboard strip (the hole needs to be large enough to fit the bulb through). Then twist the wire around the bottom of the bulb and insert the bulb into the cardboard strip. This strip, when taped to the tube, will position the bulb for contact with the positive terminal on the battery. Punch a hole through the bottom of your paper cup and push the bulb through the hold. The cup will then act as your reflector. Secure with tape.

What happened? Did the flashlight work? It should have. If not, make sure your wires are connected securely. Back in 1898, the first flashlight was constructed and this is almost the exact same project.

• 2 needles
• 1 small strip of paper
• A glass jar
• A magnet
• Pencil
• Thread

Are you ready? Let’s get started. Slide magnet over the 2 needles several times in the same direction to magnetize them. Grab your small strip of paper and fold it in half. On the underside of the folds, tape both needles to each side of the paper (make sure both needles are facing the same direction). On the outside of the paper, write the letter “S” on the end which has the needle eye and the letter “N” on the end which has the needle point. Fasten the paper to the pencil with the thread. Place the pencil over the jar so that the paper is hanging inside the jar. What’s happening? Is the paper pointing in a northerly direction? It should be.

What how or why is this happening? Can you figure it out? It’s actually very simple. On Earth, there is a magnetic field between the North and South poles that is created by the Earth’s metallic core. As a result, a magnetic compass will react with the Earth’s poles and always point in the direction of the North pole.

• A balloon
• A fluorescent light bulb
• A dark room
• Parental supervision

Are you ready? Let’s get started. The first thing you’ll need to do is to take the fluorescent light bulb and the balloon into a dark room. Charge the balloon by rubbing it on your hair or on your sweater. You will need to rub it quickly and repeatedly to build up a lot of charge for this experiment. Very carefully, touch the charged balloon to the light bulb. When doing this, please make sure that you have adult supervision just in case the light bulb happens to break. What happened? You should see some small sparks in the light bulb.
So how did the light bulb spark or light? When the charged balloon touched the bulb, electrons passed from the balloon to the bulb causing the bulb to emit small sparks of light. Under normal circumstances, the light bulb would receive the electrons from the electric power lines through a wire at the end of the tube. Cool, huh?

Here is another idea that you could do to change up the project a little bit and see what happens. You could try a rubber comb for this experiment rather than a balloon. Does it have the same effect on the light bulb?

• A battery power pack
• 1 small non-metallic bowl
• A needle
• Modeling clay
• Cork – ¼” slice off of a large cork
• A horseshoe magnet
• #22 insulated copper wire, 2 feet long w/ insulation stripped at both ends
• A switch
• Tape

Are you ready? Let’s get started. First you need to rub the needle repeatedly from the center to end with the magnet. Then tape the needle to the cork and place in a small bowl of water. Watch the direction of the needle when you place the magnet near it. Next, place the wire over the top of the dish and secure it with clay. Connect one end of the wire to the switch. Connect wire from the switch to the negative terminal on the battery pack. Connect the wire from the other end of the bowl to the positive terminal on the battery pack. Close the switch. Congratulations! You’ve just completed the same experiment that Oersted did back in 1819.

What is happening? Can you figure it out? When the electric current is flowing, there is a magnetic field around the circuit. Essentially, when the current is flowing, the magnetic needle is deflected at right angles to the circuit wire. Because of this experiment, electromagnetism was discovered.

• A battery power pack
• A compass
• A strip of 3” x 5” metal from a can
• The floating needle from Oersted’s Experiment
• #22 insulated copper wire
• 1” X 3” cardboard strip
• A switch
• 4 nails

Are you ready? Let’s get started. Wrap wire around the floating needle (the floating needle needs to be set up like the one in Oersted’s Experiment) dish 5 times. Connect one wire end with the insulation stripped off to the switch then connect another wire end with the insulation stripped off from the switch to the negative terminal of the battery. Connect the wire from the dish to the positive terminal of the power pack. Close the switch and observe how far and fast the needle turns.

What happened? Did it work? It should have. If not, make sure your wires are connected securely. You could also try wrapping the wire around the dish 5 more times to see if the needle turned farther and faster than before.

Luigi Galvani invented the galvanometer. He happened to invent this device by discovering that the leg of a frog twitched when touched by an electrically charged scalpel.

First you need to gather up all of the materials you will need. Below is a list of the following items needed to conduct this experiment:

• 1 plastic comb
• A sink
• A water faucet

Are you ready? Let’s get started. First, you need to turn on the faucet so that the water runs out in a small, steady stream. The water stream should be no more than 1/8 inch thick. Next you’ll want to give the plastic comb and electrical charge. You can do this by running it through your hair (as long as your hair is dry) a few times or you can rub it quickly and repeatedly against a sweater. Finally take the comb and slowly bring it towards the water. What happened? Did you see the water bend?

So why did the water bend? Basically, the water is neutral and doesn’t have any electric charge. Because the comb is near the water and it is electrically charged, the water then becomes attracted to it and moves towards the comb. Cool, huh?

Here is another idea that you could do to change up the project a little bit and see what happens. You could try using a balloon instead of a comb. Make sure you charge the balloon the same way you charged the comb.

• A 9 volt battery
• 2 pencils – remove the eraser and metal part on the ends
• Salt
• Thin cardboard
• Electrical wire
• Small glass
• Water

Are you ready? Let’s get started. Both pencils need to be sharpened on both ends. Cut a piece of the cardboard to fit over the glass and push both pencils through the cardboard so that the pencils are about an inch apart. Dissolve one teaspoon of salt into the water and let sit for a few minutes. Next connect one end of one of the wires to the positive terminal of the battery and the other end to the lead of the pencil. Repeat with the other wire attaching it to the negative terminal of the battery. Place the other ends of the pencils down into the salt water mixture.
What happened? As the electricity from the battery passes through the pencils, the water splits into hydrogen and chlorine gas which appear as very tiny bubbles on each pencil tip. The reason it splits into hydrogen and chlorine rather than hydrogen and oxygen is because salt was added to the water. The chlorine gas comes from the chloride in the salt. The chlorine gas will collect around the pencil tip connected to the positive terminal of the battery (the anode) and the hydrogen gas will collect around the pencil tip that is connected to the negative terminal of the battery (the cathode).

• 3 hearing aids
• 3 hearing aid batteries to fit the above hearing aids
• A refrigerator
• A freezer
• 2 refrigerator/freezer thermometers
• A battery tester
• A hearing aid dehumidifier

Are you ready? Let’s get started. We will test the batteries in 3 different situations. The first is at room temperature. Basically just leave this battery out and test it at the same time the other two batteries are tested. The second battery is placed in the refrigerator at a constant temperature (you will need to place the thermometer in the refrigerator to record the temps at every testing). And the third battery is placed in the freezer (you’ll need a thermometer for the freezer as well). Test the voltage of all 3 batteries at the same time each day 3 times a day until the batteries and hearing aids are no longer working. Each evening place the batteries from the refrigerator and freezer in the hearing aid dehumidifier to remove all of the moisture from the hearing aid.

What happened? What is your conclusion for this test? In most cases the colder temperatures will negatively affect the life of the hearing aid battery even though the moisture from the colder temperatures is removed each night. When compared to the manufacturer’s recommended battery life, the battery that was in the refrigerator lost 31 hours of life and the battery that was in the freezer lost 151 hours of life.

• ¼ cup of clay type soil
• 1 pint glass or plastic beaker – 500mL
• 6 volt dry-charge lantern battery
• 2 pieces of 12 gauge, multi-strand copper wire

Are you ready? Let’s get started. Place 60 grams of the soil into the pint glass then add 500 mL of tap water. Stir up the container until the soil is completely mixed with the water then let the mixture settle for at least 10 minutes. Strip the electrical wires on each ends about 2 inches. Attach one end of both of the wires to the terminals on the battery and place the other ends into the soil mixture making sure that the wires are not touching while in the container.

**Make a note as to which wire was connected to the positive end of the battery and which one was attached to the negative end.**

Leave the wires in the mixture for about 10 to 15 minutes and then pull them out to see what happened.
What happened? Which wire do you think would have attracted the clay? As it turns out, the minerals in the clay mixture should have been attracted to the wire attached to the positive end of the battery (the anode) and the plant nutrients should have been attracted to the wire attached to the negative end of the battery (the cathode). We’ve learned here that most plant nutrients bond to clay surfaces and it also confirms that soils are electrical chemical systems that provide potential to attract and hold plant nutrients. The greater the clay concentration in the soil the greater the potential to hold nutrients and make them available to plants.

• Zinc sheet
• Copper sheet
• Lead sheet
• Zinc nitrate solution 200 ml
• Copper nitrate solution 200 ml
• Lead nitrate solution 200 ml
• Porous cup
• 2 Beakers
• 1 Voltmeter
• Gloves
• Safety goggles
• A piece of sandpaper
• A couple of feet of wire

Are you ready? Let’s get started. First, make sure you put on the safety glasses and gloves. Grab the sandpaper and rub the zinc, copper and lead sheets to remove any debris. Pour 100 ml of zinc nitrate into a beaker and drop the zinc sheet into the solution. Pour 50 ml of the copper nitrate into the porous cup and drop the copper sheet into that solution. Cut 2 pieces of wire – about 10 cm in length for each of them. Connect one wire to the copper sheet and the other end to the voltmeter. Repeat with the other wire using the zinc sheet. Place the cup into the beaker and record the reading on the voltmeter. Repeat this process 5 times and record all readings. Take your other beaker and pour 100 ml of lead nitrate solution into it. Place the copper strip into the solution followed by the porous cup (after it’s been rinsed in distilled solution. Record reading on the voltmeter and repeat this process 5 times.

What happened? Our observations suggest that the lead-copper cell produces the most voltage in a battery. What findings do you come up with?

There are a couple of other ideas that you could do to change up the project a little bit and see what happens. You could try adding more of the electrolyte solution, increasing the temperature of the solution or replacing materials used in this project with different ones.

• 2 pieces of cardboard – 20cm X 10cm
• 2 pieces of cardboard – 3cm X 8cm
• 3 pieces of wire all 19cm long
• 1 D battery – 1.5 volt
• 4 thumbtacks
• 2 buzzers – each 1.5 volt
• Wire strippers
• Pliers
• Masking Tape

Are you ready? Let’s get started. First, take the wire strippers and remove about 2cm of insulation off each end of the wires. Identify each wire by wrapping a piece of tape around them and marking them A, B, and C. Cut a piece of cardboard from one of the pieces of smaller cardboard about 2cm from one end. Repeat with the other small piece of cardboard. Tape those smaller pieces to the right side of the larger pieces of cardboard – these pieces of cardboard will act as the switches. Tape the battery to the center of one of the large pieces of cardboard. Next tape two of the short wires to the negative end of the battery making sure the wires are touching the metal part on the bottom of the battery. Push a tack into the large piece of cardboard underneath the switch then take one of the ends of wire attached to the battery and hook it around the tack. Tape the buzzer to the other side of the large piece of cardboard. Attach the other wire that’s taped to the battery to the black wire from the buzzer making sure that the metal parts are touching one another. Push a tack up through the underside of the cardboard switch. When you push the switch down, the two tacks must be touching. Hook one end of wire A around the tack, tape one end of wire B to the positive end of the battery and attach one end of wire C to the red buzzer wire. Push a tack through the other piece of large cardboard below the free end of the switch. Attach one end of wire B and the remaining end of the short wire around the tack. Tape a buzzer to the other side of the cardboard and attach the remaining free end of the short wire. Attach the free end of wire A to the other side of the buzzer and push a tack up through the underside of the cardboard switch (remember when the switch is pushed, the tacks need to be touching). Lastly, attach the free end of wire C around the tack. And that should be it! You’ll be sending morse code in no time.

What happened? Did the buzzer sound? It should have. Pushing down on the switches completes the circuit and sounds the buzzer on the opposite piece of cardboard. If it doesn’t work, check all of your connections. Then try again.

• A DC microammeter – able to read 100 microamps
• An aluminum plate and a copper plate
• 2 electrical lead wires with alligator clips at both ends

Are you ready?
Let’s get started. First, you need to make sure that you have a flat wood or nonmetallic surface. Then set both of the metal plates on the surface that you’re going to use to conduct your experiment. Using the electrical lead wires with the alligator flips on both ends, connect the plates to the DC microammeter. Use one wire lead to connect one plate to the device (you need to attach the wire to one of the terminals) and use the other wire to connect the other plate. Place one hand on each of the plates and there should be a reading on the meter.

What happened?
Did the meter show a reading? It should have. Can you figure out why? It’s actually very simple. Naturally, there is a thin layer of a sweat on a person’s hands. This moisture on your hands acts like the acid that’s inside a battery. So when you rest your hands on the metal plates, the sweat reacts with the copper and the aluminum. In one reaction, your hand will take negatively charged electrons away for the copper, while in another reaction, your other hand will give electrons to the aluminum. Negative electrons move through your body from the copper to the aluminum while positive ions move in the opposite direction.

There are a couple of other ideas that you could do to change up the project a little bit and see what happens. You could try using different metal plates or you could have one person put a hand on the copper plate while another person puts a hand on the aluminum plate. Then have those two people join hands and see what happens.

40 AA Alkaline batteries are to be divided into three groups (room temperature, freezer, and refrigerator) for 40 days. After 24 hours are allowed for them to come to room temperature they are to be tested in a battery draining mechanism. A stopwatch should be used to test the time it takes for the fan of the mechanism to stop rotating. The times of all 20 trials of each temperature group are to be analyzed.

Results

Results should show that the batteries stored at room temperature (average 68 F and 20.43 C) last an average of 12 minutes. This should be a lot longer than either the refrigerator or freezer groups. Refrigerator batteries should be stored at an average temperature of 38 F or 3.33 C and the freezer batteries should be stored at an average temperature of 18.6 F or -7.44 C.

Conclusions/Discussion

Our conclusion is that room temperature is the best place to store AA Alkaline batteries of the three temperatures that we tested. The batteries were stored for a period of 40 days. We were very surprised to have conclusive data with this time period alone. We tested only AA alkaline batteries to control variables but we would find it very interesting to test other brands and other sizes of batteries!

Good luck!

• 9 feet of PVC covered wire (both ends stripped)
• 1 steel bolt
• Modeling clay
• 1 empty thread spool
• 1 steel nail file
• 1 rubber band
• Scissors
• Plastic tape
• Thick cardboard
• 1 soda can
• 1 switch
• 4.5 volt battery

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  Leaving both ends of the wire loose wrap the wire around the steel bolt as tight as you can – approx. 200 times.  Grab the clay and affix the steel bolt to the cardboard.  Using the rubber band, attach the handle of the nail file to the empty thread spool (the spool needs to be on its side).  Scrape away the paint from the bottom of the soda can using the scissors.  Attach the empty thread spool with the nail file on it to the cardboard with the clay and then tape one end of the wire to the metal end of the nail file.  Cut the two wires and attach one end to the battery and the scraped part of the soda can and the other to the battery and the switch.  Using the clay, attach the can to the cardboard and touch the scraped part of the can to the metal part of nail file.  Press the switch and the can emits a loud buzz.  The nail file vibrates and strikes the can repeatedly.  When you release the switch, the buzz will stop and the nail file will quit vibrating.

So I bet you’re wondering how all of this works?  Electricity is flowing from the battery through the soda can and then to the nail file.  When the nail file strikes the can, electricity flows through it to the electromagnet formed by the steel bolt and wire.  Then it proceeds through the switch and back to the battery.  The electromagnet then pulls the nail file away from the soda can.  Accordingly, the electricity will stop and the nail file will spring back striking the can again, thus repeating the cycle.  The buzzing sound is created by the movement of the electromagnet.

Materials

- 1 medium size lemon or lime
- About 4 in. wire with insulation removed, #12 or #18 works just fine
- 1 steel nail, #6 or 8 is ok
- 1 zinc plated nail, #6 or 8 is ok
- Small piece of sand paper
- Knife or wire pliers to remove insulation
- A voltmeter that can read tenths of a volt, but nothing fancy beyond that.

Preparation

The lemon battery project requires almost no advance setup. Just gather the above material, strip the insulation off the wire and use the sand paper on the wire and nail ends just before performing the experiment.

Project

Lightly sand the end of the wire and nail. Without letting any part of the nail touch the wire, insert both ‘terminals’ in the lemon about 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep and as close together as you can get them.

Note – if they touch, our battery will be ‘shorted’ and no voltage difference will be shown on the meter. If that happens, just pick a new spot on the lemon and try again.

Turn the voltmeter on to a DC volt setting. If you have a battery handy (AAA, AA, C or D is fine), use it to show the class that the meter is really working. The meter will show 1.2 to 1.5 volts if new, depending on which you size you used, and possibly less if it is an old one. Let them know that it is this voltage difference that makes the light bulb in a flashlight come on, as well as the lights inside a car, or their car’s headlights at night when they need them.

Note – if the meter shows a minus sign “-” in front of the number, just switch the meter leads (black and red wires) around so that the black wire touches the other end of the battery.

Go ahead and touch one of the meter leads to the nail and the other to the wire. What happens? The reading you see may be different from one lemon to another, and from one trial to the next. This is because the voltage difference we see depends on how far apart the terminals are, how well we make contact with the meter leads, how much and how strong the juice (our Electrolyte) is in each lemon, as well as other things that we cannot easily control in this experiment.

The important thing to note is that there is definitely a voltage difference.

Replace the copper wire with the zinc nail. Touch a meter lead to each nail as shown in the photo. What happened with the lemon battery this time? Same voltage? Higher? Lower?

This time replace the steel nail with the copper wire. Zinc and Copper make great battery terminals. Can you see why?

What Just Happened?

Two dissimilar metals are immersed in the lemon’s juice, which acts as the electrolyte. The nails and wire act as the cathode (+ terminal) and anode (- terminal), and similar chemical reactions take place when the voltmeter is hooked up. Ions flow through the electrolyte and electrons flow through the wire.

If the terminals in our experiment are not connected to the meter, no voltage potential can be read. Likewise, if the two metals in the lemon are the same, the chemical reactions do not occur, no ions flow in the electrolyte and no voltage potential is generated … in other words, nothing happens. If we do use the right metals for our terminals, and we connect the voltmeter, we will get a voltage reading.

Conclusion

One question may remain … why can’t we turn a light bulb on with this battery? The answer is, even if we connected several lemon batteries together (in series) to get the same voltage as in a D cell battery, the current we can get out of a lemon battery is just too small to light the bulb. But it is fun to try!

A fruit battery doesn’t generate enough power to actually light a bulb, so a meter is needed to see the effect.

• 5 small magnets
• 2 large paper clips
• A plastic, paper or foam cup
• 20 feet insulated 20-gauge copper wire
• Masking tape
• D battery (1.5 volt) in a battery holder
• 2 alligator clip leads
• Wire strippers
• Broom

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  Wrap the copper wire around the broom handle to create a coil with a 1 inch diameter.  Be sure to take each end of the wire and wrap it around the coil to hold the coil in place.   Strip 2 inches of insulation off both ends of the wire using the wire strippers.  Next, grab your cup and attach 3 magnets to the bottom of the cup using the masking tape.  Turn the cup upside-down and put the remaining 2 magnets on top of the cup.  The magnets on the top of the cup will not need to be taped because there are magnets on the other side of the cup.  Unfold one end of each of the paper clips.  Tape one of the paper clip ends to the side of the cup so that the rest of the paper clip is standing up above the cup.  Repeat with the other paper clip on the other side of the cup.  The paper clips will function as a cradle for the coil to rest on.  Attach the ends of the coil to the paper clips so that the coil will sit in place (see the diagram for further help).  You need to make sure that there is about 1/16 inch in between the coil and the top of the magnets.  Place the battery beside the cup and attach one alligator clip to a battery terminal and a paperclip.  Attach the other alligator clip to the opposite battery terminal and opposite paperclip.  Finally, spin the coil to start it running.  Congratulations!  You just built an electric motor!

So I bet you’re wondering how all of this will work?  Essentially, one end of the coil has become a North Pole and the other a South Pole.  Each of the three magnets attracts its opposite pole.  And in turn, it repels its own pole of the coil, thus causing the coil to rotate creating an electric motor.

• 2 wires with stripped off ends
• Aluminum foil
• Scissors
• A bowl
• Warm water
• Salt
• Tape
• 6 copper pennies
• Paper towels
• A paper plate
• A light bulb – 1.5 volt

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  Dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt in 1 cup of warm (not hot) water in a bowl.  Make sure that there is some salt left undissolved in the bottom of the bowl.  Next place a penny on a piece of aluminum foil and draw around it.  Do the same thing using paper towel instead of the foil.  Repeat these steps 5 times.  Cut all the circles out that you made on the foil and the paper towel.  When you’re done, you should have 6 foil circles and 6 paper towel circles.  Tape the end of one wire to a foil circle while dipping a paper towel circle into your bowl of warm salt water.  Put the foil circle that you taped the wire to on your paper plate and put the paper towel circle that you submerged in the water on top of that.  Next put a penny on top of the wet paper towel circle.  You will repeat these steps using all of your pennies, foil circles and wet paper towel circles.  Then tape the other wire to the last coin on top (see the diagram for help).  Congratulations!  You’ve just made a battery!

To test your battery, attach the end of one of the wires to the metal bottom of the light bulb.  Wrap the end of the other wire around the metal shaft of the light bulb.  The bulb should light up.

So why/how did the bulb light up?  There are metal atoms in the aluminum foil that will dissolve in the warm salt water (the electrolyte of the battery).  When this happens, there are electrons that are left behind.  Electricity is created when those electrons flow through the wet foil and paper circles (the circuit).  The metals will eventually dissolve completely in the warm salt water and no more electrons will be formed.  When this happens the battery stops working.

First you need to gather up all of the materials you will need.  Below is a list of the following items needed to conduct this project:

• A sheet of paper
• A magnet
• Steel shavings (you can get these by buying a steel wool pad and pulling it apart until you have a small pile of steel shavings)

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  First, you need to set the magnet on top of a table.  Next cover the magnet with the sheet of paper that you have.  Sprinkle the steel shavings over the paper and see what happens next.  The shavings should take the shape of a figure eight (8) which are the lines of force of the magnetic field.

So why did the steel shavings take the shape of the figure eight (8)?  It’s because the steel shavings will line up along the lines of the magnetic force which are close together at the poles of the magnet and farther apart as you move away from the poles.  Cool, huh?

There are a couple of other ideas that you could do to change up the project a little bit and see what happens.  You could try different sizes and shapes of magnets or use different kinds of paper – with different thicknesses and textures.

• A  self-exciting fluorescent bulb
• High-power transmission lines
• One of your parents or an adult to take you to the power lines

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  First, you would need to get one of your parents or another adult to take you to the power lines.  Don’t forget to take the fluorescent bulb with you!  Next you stand underneath the power lines and hold the fluorescent bulb up over your head.  What happened?  The bulb should have lit up.

So why/how did the bulb light up?  It’s because when you stand underneath the power lines there is an electric charge between the ground and power lines.  Thus, there is enough energy there to stimulate the gas in the bulb in order to make it glow.   Cool, huh?

There are a couple of other ideas that you could do to change up the project a little bit and see what happens.  You could try different sizes and shapes of other fluorescent bulbs or neon bulbs and you could also go to a different set of power lines and see what happens there as well.

First you need to gather up all of the materials you will need.  Below is a list of the following items needed to conduct this project:

• 1 large sheet of newspaper
• A smooth tabletop surface

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  First, you will need to set the newspaper on top of the table.  Place both of your hands on top of the newspaper and rub the newspaper against the tabletop.  If you lift up a corner of the paper, what happens?  It sticks to the table.  If you rub the newspaper onto the table with a cloth, what happens then??

So why did the newspaper stick to the table?  It’s because the friction that was created by you rubbing the newspaper against the table carries electrostatic charges that make the newspaper stick to the table.  Cool, huh?

There are a couple of other ideas that you could do to change up the project a little bit and see what happens.  You could try different kinds of paper each having a different thickness or you could use different surfaces other than a tabletop to rub the paper onto.

• 1 battery, size C
• Some aluminum foil, preferably 4” X 12”
• 1 light bulb out of a flashlight

Are you ready?  Let’s get started.  First, you will need to fold the aluminum foil a few times so that you end up with a strip about 12” long and about a half inch wide.  Then place the battery on one end of the strip of aluminum foil.  Next hold the metal base of the bulb so that it is touching the other end of the battery.  And finally, have the base of the bulb make contact with the aluminum foil.

What happened?  Did the bulb light up?  It should have.  Can you figure out why?  It’s actually very simple.  The aluminum foil is the conductive path that the battery energy follows to light up the bulb.

There are a couple of other ideas that you could do to change up the project a little bit and see what happens.  You could try a different size battery, stack a couple of batteries together or have the aluminum foil make contact with different things.

• Potato
• Plate
• 2 – Pennies
• Digital Clock with Wire Attachments
• 2 – Galvanized Nails
• 3 – 8” insulated copper wire (make sure 2” of the insulation is stripped off of one end)

DIRECTIONS

• Cut the potato in half and put the flat ends facing down onto the plate.
• Take one wire and wrap the exposed wire around one of the galvanized nails.
• Take another wire and wrap the exposed wire around one of the pennies.
• Stick the nail and penny you just used into one half of the potato. (MAKE SURE THEY DON’T TOUCH!)
• Wrap the 3rd wire around the 2nd penny, and place it into the other half of the potato.
• Place the 2nd nail into the other half of the potato as well. (DON’T WRAP IT WITH WIRE)
• Take the wire that is attached to the penny from the 1st potato half and connect it to the nail in the 2nd potato half.
• Take the free wires and connect them to the wires on the digital clock.

WHAT HAPPENED!?!?!

Does the Clock turn on? If it doesn’t, rearrange the wires connecting the clock differently.

LOOKING DEEPER INTO POTATO CLOCKS

There is a chemical reaction that causes electrons inside the potato ‘battery’ to start moving. The chemical reaction is called “Redox Reaction”. The nail from one potato causes the positive part of the circuit. The phosphoric acid in the potato reacts with the zinc in the nail, which in turn, releases electrons. The Zinc loses electrons and the copper wire releases hydrogen ions because of the reaction with the phosphoric acid. The ions gain the electrons. Whatever gains the electrons is the negative part of the circuit! Amazing, right?!

• Glass Measuring Cup
• Soda Bottle
• Water
• Colored Dye
• Marker

DIRECTIONS

• Fill the glass measuring cup with water.
• Add the colored dye to it
• Put the soda bottle into the glass measuring cup – upside down!
• Be sure the mouth of the soda bottle doesn’t touch the bottom of the glass measuring cup. The neck of the bottle should rest on the top of the glass measuring cup.
• Look inside the soda bottle. Does the water extend at least into the neck of the bottle? Make sure it does!
• Use the marker to draw a line to show the exact level of the water in the soda bottle.
• Wait a few days and go back to see where the water level is located at.

WHAT HAPPENED!?!?!

The water inside the soda bottle is trapped! No air can get inside it. If the water level is higher than the marked line, that means the air pressure has increased. If the water level is lower, that means the air pressure has decreased and you should prepare for rain!!

LOOKING DEEPER INTO AIR PRESSURE

• The air inside the soda bottle is unchanging. The water is somewhat of a ‘cork’. It stops the air from going anywhere.
• The day you corked the bottle is an indication of the air pressure for that day.
• Any daily pressure change will affect the air pressure inside the soda bottle.
• When the air pressure increases, the pressure on the top of the water increases as well, and the water is forced up inside the bottle.
• When the air pressure decreases, the pressure on the top of the water decreases as well, and the water is forced down.

• Puffed Rice Cereal
• Plate
• Wool Cloth
• Old Record

DIRECTIONS

• Take the plate and pour the cereal onto it.
• Take the old record and rub the wool cloth onto one side of the record.
• Use the rubbed side of the record to attract the cereal!
• Hold the record over the cereal and slowly move the record closer to the plate.
• The cereal LEAPS into the air and some of it will even attach itself to the record!!!

EXPLANATION

The record and wool cloth caused Static Electricity which in turn electrically charges the cereal and becomes attracted to the record!

EXTRA STUFF TO DO

• Try different cereals in your home. See if it works for them as well!
• Try rubbing the record with different items. Does it work?!
• Now try sugar! Does it work the same as the cereal did?

• Styrofoam Plate
• Empty Toilet Paper Roll
• Tape
• Markers
• White – Camera Film Canister
• Vinegar
• Baking Soda

DIRECTIONS

• Make designs on your rocket launcher (toilet paper roll) using the markers.
• Tape your rocket launcher to the middle of the styrofoam plate.
• Prepare your rocket fuel! Put 1 tbsp of vinegar in the film canister. Add ½ tsp of baking soda
• IMMEDIATELY close the lid and INSTANTLY drop the canister into the launcher, lid side down.
• STAND BACK!!!!!!
• Within 10-20 seconds, the rocket will launch!
• If for some reason it doesn’t, wait AT LEAST one minute before checking on it.

WHAT HAPPENED!?!?!

The acetic acid in the vinegar reacts with the sodium bicarbonate in the baking soda. This combination forms carbonic acid. Carbonic acid is unstable and immediately becomes Carbon Dioxide and Water. Carbon Dioxide is heavier than air so it overflows out of the container

]]> http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/projects/3-2-1-blastoff/feed 0 http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/projects/magic-ice http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/projects/magic-ice#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:00:39 +0000 Nichole Poteet http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/?p=37 Continue reading →]]>

INGREDIENTS

• Large Glass of Water
• Ice Cubes
• String
• Salt

DIRECTIONS

• Put an ice cube into your glass of water.
• Place a large pinch of salt on top of the ice cube.
• Lay the string across the top of the ice cube.
• Place more salt on top of the string.
• Wait 3 minutes.
• Try lifting the ice cube out of the water with the string
• The string is attached to the ice cube!!

WHAT HAPPENED!?!?!

The salt melts the ice and leaves a ‘pocket’ of water on top of the ice cube. The pocket refreezes around the string!

]]> http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/projects/magic-ice/feed 0 http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/projects/screwdriver-magnet http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/projects/screwdriver-magnet#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:55:43 +0000 Nichole Poteet http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/?p=29 Continue reading →]]> INGREDIENTS
• Screwdriver
• Large dry-cell battery
• Insulated wire

DIRECTIONS

• Strip about 2″ of insulation off  of one end of the wire.
• Wrap the stripped wire around the screwdriver many times.
• Ready for some SPARKS?!?!
• Take the exposed end of the wire and touch it to the battery terminal, BRIEFLY!!!
• Go ahead and take the wire off of the battery and set it aside.

THE FUN PART

Collect random metal materials throughout your home (paperclips, screws, nails, etc.) – They will stick to the screwdriver!!!!

EXPLANATION

By charging the screwdriver with a voltage, it is magnetized when inserted into a coil.

TRY THIS TOO!

• Collect other materials and see what the screwdriver can/cannot pick up.
• Time how long the screwdriver stays magnetized!!
]]> http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/projects/screwdriver-magnet/feed 0 http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/projects/how-batteries-work http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/projects/how-batteries-work#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:01:53 +0000 Nichole Poteet http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/?p=21 Continue reading →]]> Batteries are all over the place — in our cars, our PCs, laptops, portable MP3 players and cell phones. A battery is essentially a can full of chemicals that produce electrons. Chemical reactions that produce electrons are called electrochemical reactions.

If you look at any battery, you’ll notice that it has two terminals. One terminal is marked (+), or positive, while the other is marked (-), or negative. In an AA, C or D cell (normal flashlight batteries), the ends of the battery are the terminals. In a large car battery, there are two heavy lead posts that act as the terminals.

Electrons collect on the negative terminal of the battery. If you connect a wire between the negative and positive terminals, the electrons will flow from the negative to the positive terminal as fast as they can (and wear out the battery very quickly — this also tends to be dangerous, especially with large batteries, so it is not something you want to be doing). Normally, you connect some type of load to the battery using the wire. The load might be something like a light bulb, a motor or an electronic circuit like a radio.

Inside the battery itself, a chemical reaction produces the electrons. The speed of electron production by this chemical reaction (the battery’s internal resistance) controls how many electrons can flow between the terminals. Electrons flow from the battery into a wire, and must travel from the negative to the positive terminal for the chemical reaction to take place. That is why a battery can sit on a shelf for a year and still have plenty of power — unless electrons are flowing from the negative to the positive terminal, the chemical reaction does not take place. Once you connect a wire, the reaction starts. The ability to harness this sort of reaction started with the voltaic pile.

]]> http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/projects/how-batteries-work/feed 0 http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/projects/battery-history http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/projects/battery-history#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:57:48 +0000 Nichole Poteet http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/?p=19 Continue reading →]]> In the 1800s, before the invention of the electrical generator (the generator was not invented and perfected until the 1870s), the Daniell cell was extremely common for operating telegraphs and doorbells. The Daniell cell is also known by three other names:
• Crowfoot cell (because of the typical shape of the zinc electrode)
• Gravity cell (because gravity keeps the two sulfates separated)
• Wet cell (because it uses liquids for the electrolytes, as opposed to the modern dry cell)
]]> http://www.chromebattery.com/battery-kids/projects/battery-history/feed 0