Make Electricity from fruits

Introduction: 

This project is one of the most famous electricity projects that can be performed successfully by most students in the age of 10 to 16. It helps students to learn about producing electrical energy using chemical energy. Since the same method is used to get energy from many fruits and chemicals, this project has many names. Following are some of the other names or titles for this project:

Fruit power or fruit battery Convert Chemical energy to electrical energy Potato battery or Lemon battery

Procedure:

Making electricity from chemicals is based on the same scientific principles on which all modern batteries work. You insert copper and zinc electrodes in an acidic liquid and produce some electricity from the chemical reaction between your electrodes and electrolyte. 

The electricity produced in this way can be displayed with a multi-meter that can show millivolts. It may also be able to produce enough electricity to get light.  If you want to run or light up a device you must consider the voltage and current requirements of that device. Picture in the right shows 3 potato batteries connected in series so together they will produce enough voltage to light up a super bright LED type light source.

Making electricity experiment can be used for many different science projects. Following are some additional research that you can perform in relation to making electricity from fruits and chemicals.

1. Experiment to see which fruits can produce electricity.	4. Replace electrodes of your kit with other metals such as coins, nails to see which other metals can be used as electrodes.
2. Experiment to see which fruit juices can produce electricity	5. Test to see if such electrodes can light up a bulb.
3. Experiment to see which other liquids such as detergents and drinks can produce electricity.	6. If you have access to a multi meter, check to see how many volts electricity is being produced by fruits.

Material and equipment:

Material and equipment that you need for this project are: 

1. Copper Electrode
2. Zinc Electrode
3. Multi-meter capable of measuring low voltages
4. Flashlight light bulb 1.2 Volts
5. Screw Base or socket for  light bulb
6. Wires 
7. Alligator clips
8. Board for mounting the base and the bulb (optional)

Electric Generator

Wooden Generator

Making an electric generator is a good way of learning the principles of generators. It also is an exciting science project.  As a display project, you just need to make it and demonstrate its structure. As an experimental project, you need to come up with questions about the factors that may affect the rate of production of electricity.

Question:If you want to do this as an experimental project, following are some suggested questions:

1. How does the speed of turning affect the production of electricity?
2. How does the diameter of coil affect the production of electricity?
3. How does the number of loops of wire in the coil affect the production of electricity?
4. How does the wire gage (diameter of coil-wire) affect the electric current?
5. How do the material used in the construction of an electric generator affect the production of electricity?

Amou
Hypothesis: 
Depending on the question that you select, you may predict an answer. That is called your hypothesis.
Dependent and Independent Variables
The factor that you are testing is your independent variable. For example the speed of turning and diameter of wire are samples of independent variables. The rate of production of electricity is the dependent variable.
Material:
Following are the material that you need in order to construct a wooden electric generator.

1. Wood dowel 3/8" diameter
2. Wood Dowel 1" diameter.
3. Rod magnet 3" long
4. Insulated copper wire 
5. 1.2 Volt Screw Base light Bulb
6. Base for the light bulb
7. Small sand paper
8. Wood Glue
9. 1/2 Square foot Balsa wood (1/8" diameter)

Preparation:
If you are buying a kit, all the wooden parts are included and they are already cut to the size. So you just need to connect them. If you don't have a kit, prepare the wooden parts as follows:

1. Cut two square pieces from the balsa wood (3.5" x 3.5").
2. Make a 3/8" hole in the center of each square.
3. Cut four 1" x 3 7/16.
4. Cut a 3/4" piece from the 1" wood dowel. Make a 3/8" hole in the center of it. Insert a 6" long 3/8" wood dowel in the hole, apply some glue. center it and wait for it to dry. 
5. Make another hole with the diameter of your rod magnet in the center of the larger wood dowel piece for the magnet to go through.

Wood dowels after completing the step 4

Wood dowels after completing the step 5

The picture on the right shows samples of wood dowels formed as a magnet holder rotor. They are included in the wooden generator kits; however, you can also order them separately.

Adult supervision and professional help is required for all cuttings and hole makings.
Procedure: (If you buy a kit, make sure to read the procedure suggested in your kit)

1. Insert the magnet in the hole of the wood dowel. Center it and use some glue to secure it.
2. Use one large square balsa wood and four smaller rectangular balsa woods to make a box.
3. Insert your wood dowel into the hole in the center of the box. At this time the magnet is inside the box.
4. Place the other large square to complete the box. Apply some glue to the edges and wait for the glue to dry. By now, you have a box and inside the box you have a magnet that can spin when you spin the wood dowel.
5. Wrap the copper wire around the box and use masking tape to secure it. Note that more copper wire around the box results more electricity.
6. Remove the insulation from the ends of the wire and connect it to the screws of the bulb holder or base. 
7. Insert the light bulb
8. Spin the wood dowel fast to get the light.

More detail Instructions: A more detail and step by step online instruction page is available for the users of the kit. If you have got the kit, please make sure to use the URL (web address) suggested in the kit to access the instruction details.  

The high quality parts included in this science set may be useful for many of your future projects. All parts other than balsa wood are reusable. You may purchase additional balsa wood from craft stores for your future projects.

Magnet Levitation

Make a Magnetic Levitating Train

Introduction: In magnets like poles repel. In other words N poles repel N poles and S poles repel S poles. The abilities of magnets to repel each other has provided the idea of making levitating trains. Levitating trains do not make a loud noise as regular trains do. They can also travel faster due to lower friction between the train and the rails.  Magnetic trains do not need wheels. They just need a magnetic rail on the ground and a like magnetic rail on the train cars.

Materials 

To construct a model of magnetic levitating train you will need the following materials.

Included in your kit: 2 long hi-force Magnetic Strips (for the rails) 2 short hi-force Magnetic Strips (for the car) 2 plastic Guide Rails Wood Block 5" x 1 1/2" x 3/4" for the car

Additional materials you need:

• Wood board or heavy cardboard 3" x 28" or larger. This will be the ground for your train.
• Clear adhesive tape
• Foam board or construction paper for making a decorative train
• Wood glue or Elmer glue to connect the foam parts (optional)
• A ruler stick
• Pencil
• This instruction page

Procedure Quick Reference:

Peal the plastic film from the back of 5" long magnet strips and connect them on one side of the 5" x 1 1/2" wood block. This will be the train car. As you see in the picture in the right, the strips are aligned to the edges of the wood block and are 1/2" apart. Peal the plastic film from the back of 24" long magnetic strips and mount them parallel to each other, exactly 1/2" apart, on a long wooden board or rigid card board. Mount the clear plastic angles on the sides of the long magnetic strips to form a protective wall so the levitating car will not move off rail. There must be a very small gap between the car and the walls so the car can move freely.

In this method the angle brackets are installed towards outside. In other words the horizontal surface of the brackets are away from the rails. This methods allows you to adjust the position of side rails later. The angle brackets can be secured using masking tape, clear adhesive tape, or small screws.Another method described in the detail procedure below is suggesting the brackets to be mounted towards inside. You choose which method you want to use.

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Procedure Details:

Draw 2 parallel lines 24" long and 1/4" apart as the guideline for mounting plastic rails (angle brackets). Number these lines as line 1 and line 2. draw 2 more parallel lines 1/8" outside the first two lines. These 2 new lines will be used as the guideline for the magnet strips. We name these new lines , line A and line B. Place one of the angle brackets on the board and align its edge to the line number 1. At this time the flat section of the angle bracket will cover the line A and the wall section of that will stay on the left of line A. Use tape to secure it at this position.  Place the other plastic angle bracket on the board and align its edge to the line number 2. At this time the flat section of the angle bracket will cover the line B and the wall section of that will stay on the right of line B. Use tape to secure it at that position.

Place your train car between the rails and make sure that it can move freely and the space between the walls and train is as small as possible.

Peal the plastic film from the back of 24" long magnetic strips and mount them on the flat section of angle brackets. One must be aligned to line A and the other must be aligned to line B. In this way two magnetic strips will be exactly 1/2" apart.

Place the rail board on a flat horizontal surface and then place the train car over the rail. It must float and the side brackets must protect it so it does not go off road.

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Further adjustments and alignments:

If the magnets are very strong you may need to make your train heavier by adding weights or loads. You may also use the super strong neodymium magnet to modify the strength of your plastic magnet strips. Please be cautious in doing this because imbalance in the strength of magnet strips can potentially disable your train. 

To increase the strength of plastic magnet, place the neodymium magnet on the magnet strip so that it will be attracted, then rub the magnet all over the surface of both rails on the ground.To reduce the strength of magnet, hover the neodymium magnet above the magnet strip so that it will be repelled by the plastic magnet, then move it along the rail.

To be more precise in this procedure, you must first identify the N and S of your plastic magnets and your neodymium magnet. You may use a compass to identify the poles. The south pole of the compass needle is the one that shows the north and attracts to the N pole of magnets. Also the North pole of a compass needle stays towards the south pole and attracts toward the S pole of magnets. 

To increase the strength of plastic magnet, rub its surface with the opposite pole of the neodymium magnet. To reduce its strength, hover the like pole of the neodymium magnet above its surface. 

Note: Super strong Neodymium magnet is also able to reverse the poles of a plastic magnet. For example if the surface of plastic magnet is N, you can rub that surface with the N pole of neo magnet in order to change it to S.

Decoration:Make a decorative train using Styrofoam or construction paper and mount it over your wooden train base. A decorative structure makes your train more attractive for your science project display.  You can glue or tape any decorative train car above your wooden train.

If you cut the foam to exact size of your wooden train, you will not need to use tape or glue. The model can sit right on the top of the wooden train and hold it snugly.

Additional upgrades:

The wooden train or the decorative train above that may be equipped with ejecting magnets so they can smoothly eject at the end of the rail. Ejecting magnets are usually rectangle magnets or small disk magnets that may be screwed or taped to both ends of a train. To make these work, matching magnets must be mounted at the end of each rail in a way that they repel the train magnets.

The magnets at the end of the rail must be fully aligned with the train magnets so they can repel the train when it gets to the end of line.End of line magnets may be mounted on another wood block or a small cardboard or plastic box. Picture in the right shows an end of line magnet mounted on a wooden block that is hold in place using rubber bands.

Other pictures:

Air Battery

Make a battery that works with air and saltwater

This science project experiment is a simplified version of the air battery project available at ScienceProject.com. Pictures and excerpts of information are published here with permission.

Introduction: We all know that the world is now facing an energy crisis and everyone is trying to do something about that. Now you can show everyone that electrical energy or electricity can be made from air and saltwater. After all, both the air and the saltwater are freely available everywhere. These are the two things that we have plenty of them.

This may seem impossible. I could not believe it myself the first time that I heard about it. It almost sounds like a magic trick. Finally, I decided to test it anyway. I tried different concentrations of salt water, different temperatures, and different electrodes and had no success. It took me a few months thinking about it until I solved the problem in my mind and decided to repeat my tests again. This time everything worked fine and I was able to make enough electricity to light up a small light bulb.

The concept is easy. The same way that you burn wood and make heat energy, you should be able to burn metals and get electricity (or electrical energy). The difference is that you are not really burning any thing; instead, you are producing a condition for oxidization which by itself is the same as slow burning. So what you really do is oxidizing iron in saltwater using the oxygen from the air or any other source. (At least, that’s my theory at this time)
I don’t know if this method of producing electricity is economical and cost effective. What I know is that it is worth to try. If with one cup of salt water and some metals I was able to light up a small light bulb, maybe you can light up the entire building by a tank of salt water and a few hundred pounds of scrap metal.
No mater what is the results, I am proud that I can make an emergency battery for myself if I need it.
It took me a long time to make the first working battery using the salt water; however, you don’t have to waste that much time. I have combined the results of all my experiments and made a recipe for success. Just follow the instructions and you will get results in the first try.

Actually there are many different combinations of many different materials that can produce some electricity. Experimenting with saltwater and air is suggested for the younger students because these are relatively safer material.

List of materials:

This is the minimum list of material you need for your experiment. Miniature light bulb (low voltage, low current) Miniature base for light bulb Pair of insulated solid copper wire AWG=20 Pair of alligator clips Magnesium Electrodes Iron Electrodes A cup of saltwater (not in the picture) Screws for the miniature base.

Save time and money. Order a kit now.

Additional optional materials you may use:

1. A wooden board to mount the miniature base (light holder)
2. Plastic container about 4" x 4" x 4"
3. Hydrogen Peroxide

What is a good title for my project?You can call it "Air battery", "Salt water battery", "electricity from air" or "electricity from the salt water".

Procedure:

1. Remove the plastic insulation of about one inch from both ends of the wires. 
2. Loosen the screw on both contacts of the bulb holder. Place one end of the red wire under one screw, make a loop and then tighten the screw. Place one end of the black wire under the other screw, make a loop and then tighten the screw. 
3. Pass the open end of the red wire through the arm of the red alligator clip and secure it under the screw.
4. Pass the open end of the black wire through the arm of the black alligator clip and secure it under the screw. 
5. Screw the light bulb on the miniature base.
6. Connect the red alligator clip to the iron electrode and secure it on one side of the plastic container or the cup.
7. Connect the black alligator clip to the magnesium electrode and secure it on the opposite side of the container. (You may need to hold them by hand or use a small tape to hold them in place on the side of the container.
8. In another pitcher, prepare some strong, warm salt water. Add enough salt so at the end some salt will be left at the bottom of the pitcher.
9. Transfer the salt water from the pitcher to the container. 
10. At this time, if all the connections are secure and the electrodes are large enough, you should get a light.

How can I get more light?

Make sure your electrodes are not touching each other. Make sure there is nothing blocking the space between the electrodes. Make sure that the alligator clips are not touching the salt water. Both electrodes must have the maximum possible surface contact with salt water.

The test tube electrodes (magnesium electrodes in test tubes) are formed like a spring. This provides the largest possible surface contact. For Iron electrode you may use steel wool. Steel wool has a very large surface contact. A steel screen may work as well.
You may notice that you will get more light if you stir the solution or if you remove the iron electrode and insert it back again. Such actions provide oxygen to the surface of the iron.
Note: Steel is about 98% iron.

The oxygen in the air may not be enough for your demonstration and you may get a dim light. In this case you may add some oxygen (in the form of hydrogen peroxide) to the salt water. That should immediately increase the light.

A cup is relatively small. If you have access to a larger container, you will get a better result. In a larger container, it is easier to secure the electrodes in two opposite sides so they will not touch each other.

Where to buy the materials?The main components of this project are available as a set in  KidsLoveKits.com. This set will only include the essential components. You must have a plastic container, a wooden board, some iron and some hydrogen peroxide to complete your material. This set includes 2 Magnesium electrodes, screws, light bulb, light base and insulated wire with alligator clips on both ends. Part# AIRBAT

Floating Wheels A Magnet Levitation Experiment

Floating wheels is among the most exciting magnet levitation attempts. The idea is making a wheel and axle that will float above a set of magnets and can rotate with no friction. This is a challenging experiment and interesting novelty that provides an attractive and exciting display. Floating Wheels is very close to a 100% magnetic levitation constructed with static magnets. Floating wheels are also known as a frictionless bearings because of the fact that moving parts are not directly touching each other. Below is a list of materials plus step by step instructions for constructing the floating wheel model. For students ages 8 and above. Adult supervision and support is required. Keep away from younger children.    List of Materials Materials you need for the construction of a floating wheels model are listed below. The same materials come in a kit from MiniScience.com. If you have purchased a kit, please verify the kit content to make sure that you have all the materials before you start. Wood glue and a piece of string are not included in the kit. Quantity Description 1 7" x 1/2" x 1/2" Basswood 2 3 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/2" Basswood 1 1 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/2" Basswood 1 3/8"D x 4" pine or bass wood dowel 4 Ceramic Rectangular Magnet with hole 1 Ceramic Ring magnet with 3/8" hole 4 Flathead 3/4" Phillips screws 2 3/4" long eye screws 1 6" string / thread (Not included in kit) 1 Philips screw driver (Not included in kit) 1 Wood Glue/ White Glue (Not in the kit) Instructions: 1. Prepare and verify all the materials as listed above.2. Identify the same sides on all of the rectangular magnets and mark them accordingly. It does not make a difference whether you choose to mark the North or South side. Note that same sides repel each other. (pictured below shows one side of all rectangle magnets marked by a piece of sticker paper) 3. See the picture of completed floating wheels below so that you will have a good idea of what you will be making. Then see the drawings and mark your wood pieces accordingly so that you will know where you will make screw holes or where you will glue and connect the wood pieces. 4. Insert one screw in each screw location to create the screw holes precisely. Then remove the screws and save them for later.You will later use the same screws and the same screw holes to connect the magnets to the short wood pieces. This will be easy because you have already created the screw holes. Place your magnets at an angle so that they create a magnetic field to repel the circular magnets once complete. Then tighten the screws. All magnets are mounted at the same direction. In other words all same poles are on one side. 5. Get the long 7” wood as your base and glue the two 3.5” wood pieces so they sit on top of your base in a cross direction. The first 3.5” wood should be glued at the very end of your base. The position of the other 3.5” wood can be determined by using the wood dowel (pictured below) or using the drawings above. Allow the glue to dry completely. 6. You will now use the same screws and the same screw holes to connect the magnets to the short wood pieces. This will be easy because you have already created the screw holes. Place your magnets at an angle so that they create a magnetic field to repel the circular magnets once complete. Then tighten the screws. All magnets are mounted at the same direction. In other words all same poles are on one side. 7. Place the two circular magnets at the ends of the wood dowel. Make sure to place them in the same magnetic direction so that they will repel when placed above the rectangular magnets. 8. Screw one eye screw to the correct side of the wood dowel (determine which way the dowel will be in order to repel the rectangular magnets) 9. Screw the other eye screw into the top of the 1.5” wood piece. Once the eye screw has been screwed into the 1.5” wood piece, you can glue it to the other end of the 7” wood base. If you’re having a hard time screwing the eye screws in using your hands, use a screwdriver and regular screw to create a pilot hole first. When the hole is created it will be easy to screw the eye screw by hand. 10. Get a piece of string, the thinner and less visible the string, the better the effect will be. Tie the ends of the string to each of the eye screws. Since the string acts as a control, you can adjust the string by spinning it around the eye screw on the top of the 1.5” wood piece. This can be used to adjust the length and position the magnets so that they can remain in a constant state of levitation.

 Simple Electric Circuit

The Simple Electric Circuit will help you to learn the basic concepts of electricity and electrical circuits. You will experience and build a light circuit powered by a battery and controlled by a switch. You will also learn about electrical conductors and insulators. You will receive all the components and you must build the circuit by cutting the wire and connecting the parts according to the diagram in this page.

Connection of wires to the battery holder, switch and the lamp base are done using the screws or clips. You can use household tools such as a pair of scissors to cut the wire and remove the insulation from the contact points. You will also need a D size battery to power your circuit.

Electricity and Conductivity Science Kit includes several experiments in Electrical Circuits, conductivity and properties of electricity. Some of the project ideas you may have using this kit are:

1- Construct a Simple Electric Circuit (Grades 2 to 5)
2- Can electricity create heat? (Grades 4 to 6, You will need a thermometer to show that the light bulb is getting hot.)
3- Construct a Continuity tester and test conductivity of objects around you.

The Simple Electric Circuit Kit includes:

• Wooden base to mount the circuit
• 2 Light Bulbs
• 1 lamp holder
• 1 Battery holders
• 1 Simple Switch (Known as knife switch)
• Screws used to mount the switch and the lamp holder
• Insulated solid copper wire (Gage 22)

Opportunities for Science Projects
You may use your kit in relation to many different science projects. Construction of a simple electric circuit by itself may be used as a science project for many different grades. You may also use some color paper to make a nice lamp shade for it and use it as your night light. Some other students may need to use their completed circuit to do further research for their science project. Two common project ideas that use this kit are:

1. Can electricity create heat? To do this project you will also need a thermometer to show that the light bulb is getting hot.
2. Identify conductors and insulators around you. It is important to know what materials are conductive and what materials are not. The test is simple. Open the switch and place the object between the poles of the switch. If the light comes on, then the object is conductive. You may try this with metals (coins, paper clips, nails, etc.) and non-metals (glass, plastic, stone, wood, etc.)

 

Magnet Levitation: The fact that same magnetic poles repel each other is the base for design of many industrial equipments. Repelling magnets are often part of another electrical or mechanical system. When you attempt to move the North pole of one magnet toward the North pole of another magnet, initially the other magnet may be pushed away, but soon it flips over and the South pole of that face and attract your magnet.
Many studies have been done on levitating objects with magnetic force, however it is now proven that 100% levitation for a non moving object is impossible. Partial levitation is now used in construction of high speed magnetic trains. Many other instruments and equipment also use repelling properties of magnets.
Following are some of the projects that can be made using magnets with same poles facing each other. They are all applications of magnet levitation.
Floating Rings:
In this project you will make a set of magnet rings to float above each other while their balance is maintained using a wood dowel. You will then examine the flexibility of the floating rings and propose uses for such a floating set of rings.
Material:
You will need a base board, a 6" wood dowel or pencil and six ring ceramic magnets, make sure that the wood dowel or pencil fits the hole in the center of magnets. Also try to get painted magnets. A layer of paint will protect ceramic magnets from chipping.
Procedure:
Mount the pencil or wood dowel vertically in the center of the base board. If you use glue, you will need to wait a few hours until the glue is fully dry. Place the first ring magnet over the wood dowel and let it go down. Get a second magnet and bring it close to the first magnet to feel the magnetic forces and find out which two poles repel each other. Then insert this magnet in a way that when it gets to the first magnet, same poles are faced each other and two magnets will repel. So the second magnet will float. 

Continue these steps with the other four magnets. Finally you will have 6 ceramic ring magnets on a column that can freely move up and down, but gravity force is not able to pull them down because the same poles of magnets are facing each other. Push the upper magnet down. How much force do you need to put all magnets together? Now release it. What happens? Why?Can you use this magnet levitation model to make other products?

Magnetic Spring Scale:One of the ideas have been a magnetic spring scale. As you see a clear plastic tube is placed above the upper magnet. Then another plastic tray is placed above the plastic tube. You may use a paper tube and a paper tray instead. When weight is placed on the tray, the tray goes down. The amount that it moves depends on the amount of weight. A piece of paper is used as the indicator hand. Also a Popsicle stick is used to mark the weight. As you see most of the material can be replaced by other material that you may have around your home.

Age group:
This is a good science project for ages 6 to 13.