In this experiment, you will make current from ordinary lemons.
Things Required:
Lemon
Copper coin
Strip of zinc (obtained from hardware store)
Steel wool
Knife
Current meter (assembled in “Simply Multimeter”)
Directions:
Use the steel wool to shine the surfaces of the coin and the zinc strip. File down any sharp edges of the zinc strip.
Ask an adult use the knife to punch two small slits into the to tough skin of the lemon. The slits should be about 1/2 inch in length and placed about 1/4 inch apart.
Insert a coin into one of the slits. Insert the zinc strip into the other slit. Make sure the metals don’t touch.
Touch the leads of the current meter to the exposed metals. What happens to the magnetized needle? Can you explain your observation?
This Is What Happens:
There is a natural tendency for electric charges to travel between two different metals (in this case copper and zinc). Within the lemon, the acid environment offered a partial route for the travel of charges. The route was completed by the external circuit, which included the coiled wire. As the current travelled through this coil, it produced a magnetic field. This field deflected the needle from its original pointing direction.
