Science 9 – Battery Activity Stations:
1. Lemon Battery
Need:
- 3 x Lemons
- 3 x 2’’ galvanized nail (or zinc anode)
- 3 x Penny (or copper cathode)
- 4 x Jumper wires (Connecting wires coated in black and red insulator)
- Multi-meter
Steps:
1. Insert a penny into a cut on one side of the lemon. Push a galvanized nail into the other side of the lemon.
* This is a single cell of a battery. The zinc nail and the copper penny are called electrodes. The lemon juice is called electrolyte. All batteries have a "+" and "-" terminal. Electric current is a flow of atomic particles called electrons. Certain materials , called conductors, allow electrons to flow through them. Most metals (copper, iron) are good conductors of electricity. Electrons will flow from the "-" electrode of a battery, through a conductor, towards the "+" electrode of a battery. Volts (voltage) is a measure of the force moving the electrons.
2. Plug in red and black wire adaptors to the multi-meter
3. Attach the alligator clip ends of the wire to the nail and the penny in the lemon (Connect the jumper wire from the galvanized nail to the negative (-) terminal of the multi-meter. Connect the next jumper wire from the copper penny to the positive (+) terminal of the multi-meter).
4. Record the Voltage reading from the multi-meter.
5. Disconnect the wire between the penny and the multi-meter.
6. In another lemon, push in a nail and penny at opposite ends.
7. Attach a jumper wire between the first lemon’s penny and the second lemon’s nail. Attach a jumper wire between the second lemon’s and the positive (+) terminal of the multi-meter
8. Repeat steps 5-7 with the second and third lemons.
9. Now, lets try steps 1 – 4 again, replacing the penny with another nail. See what happens to the voltage.
Science 9 – Battery Activity Stations:
2. Potato Battery
Need:
- 2 x Potato
- 3 x Jumper wires (Connecting wires coated in black and red insulator)
- 2 x 2’’ galvanized nail (or zinc anode)
- 2 x Penny (or copper cathode)
- 3 x Connecting wires (coated in black and red insulator)
- Multi-meter
- Sharpie
Steps:
1. Separate the two Potatoes. Label one potato A and the other potato B.
2. Push a galvanized nail into the left end of both potatoes.
3. Insert one copper nail on the opposite end of the galvanized nail in each potato, so that we can be sure that the two different metals do not touch.
4. Connect the first jumper wire from the copper nail of potato "A" to the positive (+) terminal of the multi-meter.
5. Connect the second jumper wire from the galvanized nail of potato "B" to the negative (-) terminal of the multi-meter.
6. Connect the third jumper wire from the galvanized nail of potato "A", then connect its other end to the copper nail of potato "B".
7. Record the Voltage reading from the multi-meter
8. Repeat steps 1 – 7, replacing the penny with a different metal strip. How is the voltage affected?
Science 9 – Battery Activity Stations:
3. AA, AAA, D, C – Batteries:
Need:
- 1 x AA Battery
- 1 x AAA Battery
- 1 x DC Battery
- 6 x Jumper wires (Connecting wires coated in black and red insulator)
- Multi-meter
Steps:
1. Attach a jumper wire from the positive terminal of the AA Battery to the positive terminal of the multi-meter
2. Attach the jumper wire from the negative terminal of the AA Battery to the negative terminal of the multi-meter
3. Record the Voltage reading from the multi-meter
4. Repeats steps 1 -3 with the AAA Battery and then the D and C Battery. Compare the voltage readings.
Science 9 – Battery Activity Stations:
4. Playing with Circuits:
Need:
- battery
- Led Lights
- Switch
- Jumper wires
- Multi-meter
Steps:
1. Create a circuit to light the bulb
Science 9 – Battery Activity Stations:
5. Chemical Battery
Need:
- 500ml of 1 or 1.5 M Sulphuric Acid or Hydrochloric Acid
- Large Glass Beaker
- Zinc Anode (Zinc strip)
- Copper Cathode (Copper Strip)
- Copper wires Jumper Wires
- Multi-meter
Steps:
1. Poor the acid into the beaker.
2. Place the copper and zinc strips on opposite sides of the beaker
3. Attach copper wire (or jumper wires) to the zinc anode. Connect it with the negative terminal of the multi-meter.
4. Attach copper wire (or jumper wires) to the copper anode. Connect it with the positive terminal of the multi-meter.
5. Record the Voltage reading on the multi-meter.
Science 9 – Battery Activity Stations:
6. Penny Battery
Chapter 8.1 Electro-Chemical Cells and Potential Difference Stations
1. Lemon Battery
Anode (-) / Cathode (+) / Voltage (V)2. Potato Battery
Anode (-) / Cathode (+) / Voltage (V)3. Multiple Batteries
Type of battery / Voltage (V)5. Chemical Battery
Anode (-) / Cathode (+) / Voltage (V)6. Penny Battery
Measured VoltageDry Paper Towel
Vinegar Soaked Paper Towel
Analysis
Station 1 (Lemon Battery): In general, how did the voltage produced by two nails in Part 1 compare to the voltage produced when the two metals (nail and copper penny) were different types?
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Station 2 (Potato Battery): What effect do you think having two potatoes have on the voltage reading?
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Station 3 (Multiple Batteries): Does the physical size of the battery indicate how much voltage it has? (That is, do larger batteries have higher voltages than smaller batteries?) Explain.
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Station 4 (Circuits): draw a circuit diagram of your set-up using the rules on page 282 of the textbook.
Station 5 (Chemical Batteries): What materials are needed to produce a high voltage in an electrochemical cell?
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Station 6 ( Penny Battery): How did the voltmeter reading in step 5 differ from the reading in step 4? What do you think caused the difference? ______
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