How to Make a Potato Battery for Elementary Students

Most elementary students' understanding of electricity sources comes from flipping a switch or inserting a battery into mechanical devices to produce the necessary operational power. Making a potato battery illustrates the science behind electricity production and makes for a crowd-pleasing demonstration at the science fair. The potato battery is a simple way to turn your dinner into a miniature power plant.

Things You'll Need

  • Multimeter
  • 1 large potato
  • 2 alligator clips or insulated copper wire
  • Wire cutters
  • Wire stripper
  • Copper electrodes such as a pre-1982 penny, heavy-gauge copper wire or copper nail
  • Zinc or galvanized steel electrodes such as a hot-galvanized zinc nail or heavy-gauge wire
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Insert one copper and one zinc or galvanized steel electrode into a potato, at least one inch apart. Electrodes can be copper pennies, heavy gauge wire, nails or metal strips. Wrap a strand of copper wire around the two electrodes to connect them.

       

    • 2

      Clip one alligator clip to each electrode. Alternately, strip a few inches of insulation off the end of two lengths of insulated wire, one copper and one zinc or galvanized steel. Wrap the wire securely around the electrodes, copper to copper and steel to steel.

    • 3

      Attach or touch the lead from the steel or zinc electrode to the negative terminal of the multimeter. Connect the lead from the copper electrode to the positive terminal.

    • 4

      Read the voltage output on the multimeter. Adjust the connections until you get a reading.

Learnify Hub © www.0685.com All Rights Reserved