Fruity Electricity

Add to list Go to activity
Activity link broken? See if it's at the internet archive
In this activity, Frankenstein's lab is running out of electricity! Learners use fruit to help Igor find a temporary source of energy to turn on a light. Learners hook up a piece of citrus fruit to a holiday light to discover that fruit can work like a battery. Learners can also investigate the probability of using other fruits and vegetables to make electricity by measuring the pH of each "battery" and measuring the voltage and current it produces with a multimeter. This Frankenstein-themed activity can be used during Halloween time.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
10 to 30 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per student
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Type:
Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per student)

  • citrus fruit (lemons or limes work best)
  • 1 copper screw about 5 cm long
  • 1 zinc screw about 5 cm long
  • 1 holiday light with 5 cm leads
  • piece of scrap paper or paper towel
  • wire cutters
  • pH paper (optional)
  • multimeter (optional)

Keywords

Subjects

  • Engineering and Technology
    • Technology
  • Physical Sciences
    • Electricity and Magnetism
      • Electric Charges and Currents
      • Electric Circuits
    • Chemistry
      • Acids and Bases
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations

Informal Categories

  • Food and Cooking

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Little, Carlyn ; LaHart, David ; Meyers, Ted ; Weisblat, Brooks

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Museum of Science, Inc. (Miami, FL), 1997

Funding Source:

  • Unisys