Electricity: Fruit Batteries

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In this activity, learners create a battery from fruit. This activity helps learners explore electricity, electrochemistry, and series circuits as well as the process of scientific inquiry. Learners will use a voltmeter to measure voltage and a multimeter to measure how much work their fruit battery can do. They will record the measurements on a data table and compare voltage amongst different types of fruits. Learners will also link together multiple fruit batteries to create a series circuit. This lesson guide includes background information, key vocabulary terms, blackline masters, and extension ideas.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
1 to 2 hours
Learning Time:
1 to 2 hours
Estimated Materials Cost:
Over $20 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • 4 apples, 3 bananas, 3 oranges
  • 10 small bags (plastic sandwich bags or lunch bags) to put the electrodes in
  • 10 strips each of copper, aluminum and zinc
  • 10 digital multimeters set to measure up to 2 V (with alligator clips)
  • 6 red LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) rated at 3 V
  • Some leads with alligator clips
  • 10 AA batteries
  • 10 sharpie pens
  • 10 rulers
  • 10 pen knives or butter knives
  • Paper towels
  • 10 handouts, one for each station
  • Flip chart
  • Icon to indicate type of workstation (apple, banana etc.) - optional

Keywords

Subjects

  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Electrical Engineering
    • Technology
  • Physical Sciences
    • Electricity and Magnetism
      • Electric Charges and Currents
      • Electric Circuits
    • Energy
    • Chemistry
      • Acids and Bases
  • Mathematics
    • Data Analysis and Probability
      • Data Analysis
      • Data Collection
    • Number and Operations
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • About Inquiry
      • Asking Questions
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Formulating Explanations
      • Communicating Results

Informal Categories

  • Electronics
  • Food and Cooking

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • read
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Habib, Maria

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2008