A completely original device, in order to interest children of secondary school age, is a potato battery. Yes there are children! Many adults are interested in the manufacture, as well as the study of such a direct current source. For design, special tools and devices are not needed - improvised tools are suitable. Moreover, it takes just a few minutes to make.
What is a potato battery for?
A potato battery is a non-standard device that cannot be used to feed appliances in a domestic environment. But then it is easy for him to find application for other purposes and consider the manufacturing process, for example, as:
- A wonderful project for a scientific exhibition.
- Joint study of physics by children and parents.
- An unusual hobby that you can surprise friends.
Basically, such devices serve to demonstrate or install physical laws. Children are very fond of conducting experiments on the study of electric current.
What tools will be needed to create a vegetable battery
To make a vegetable a direct current source, additional tools and materials are needed, as it will not produce electricity by itself. The potato battery will be obtained using the following materials:
- 2-3 large potatoes.
- Nails made of zinc and copper.
- Single core copper wire.
- Ammeter, better multimeter.
- Light-emitting diode.
In addition, you need a soldering iron, pliers, scissors for cutting metal. It is advisable to prepare the workplace and optionally take a damp cloth to wipe the surface.
Potatoes are the most available material, but craftsmen often experiment using citrus fruits and other vegetables and fruits. The principle of manufacture, as well as use, is the same as with potatoes. You just need to take a little more wire and nails.
Features of manufacturing an unusual source of energy
No need to have a huge baggage of knowledge in physics or to be a jack of all trades to figure out how to make a battery out of potatoes. Even a child can cope with the task. The principle of manufacturing a potato battery:
- You must first prepare the copper wire. Remove the insulator, if present, and strip the ends of the wire well.
- Attach a copper nail to one end of the wire, and zinc to the other. If you solder the wire to the elements, then the voltage loss will decrease.
- Arrange the potatoes sequentially and connect the vegetables with wire and nail elements. Two different nails are stuck into each unit. If zinc is inserted in the first, it is logical that in the second - copper. So, in a different part of the second potato you need to stick a nail from zinc.
- Next, it is worth taking direct current measurements: press the final nails to the probes of the multimeter or ammeter. Three potatoes can show a voltage of 1.5 V.
- You can increase the number of elements in the chain of vegetables. It is enough to cut each potato into several parts. Then the tension will increase.
Thanks to such indicators, a potato battery will be able to light a small LED. It is enough to connect only two final nails from the first and last potatoes to the wiring of the lighting element.
The principle of operation of such a device
Before you start making a vegetable battery, you can measure. It is enough to stick the micrometer probes into the potatoes. The result immediately jumps to the scoreboard with an indicator of several millivolts. If you attach the wires of the device to the coins, which are then inserted into the slice on the potato, the indicators will increase.
Potatoes contain salts and acids, which play the role of an electrolyte. Zinc and copper elements are the anode and cathode, respectively. You can use elements made of steel or aluminum, but the voltage indicators will be lower, since the material has a high resistance.
A battery of lemon and potatoes will be much more effective than a current source from a single vegetable. Thanks to the oxidative processes that occur during the interaction of zinc, copper and acids, an electric current is generated. The electrodes sequentially move from the anode to the cathode at a certain speed. A potato battery at home works on the same principle. Therefore, to say that the current is concentrated in the potato is stupid.