We all heard of making lemonade out of lemons and that when things go wrong, if you know to Think in The Right Way then you can make something good come out of a sour situation. But how can you make a BATTERY out of Lemons?!
Most of us know what Lemons look like; A Lemon is a yellow, oval, thick skinned and fragrant citrus fruit said to originate from India and is commonly grown in the Middle East.
Lemons are a good source of Vitamin C, which is important to boost our immune system in order to fight sickness. Lemons are used in aromatherapy, but they are not just healthy for you, they are also used for culinary purposes; lemon juice, lemon cakes, lemon cookies, a tarty lemon pie, lemon ice cream and in food preparations like Tahini, Hummus, salads and many other dishes in many countries around the world.
However, do you know that the lemon is also used as a natural, non-toxic mosquito repellent and insecticide? Other interesting uses for lemons are as a cleaning agent to remove stains and grease, or to deodorize. Some kids (and even adults) make money from selling lemonade in street stalls, fairs, festivals and local markets.
Lemons can also provide a lot of fun for your kids, even if they hate drinking lemon juice. One of the interesting things you can do with your kids and a few lemons, is a fun lemon battery science fair experiment! It is an easy, low cost and fun educational activity to do at home or at school. Try this fun lemon science experiment with your kids to teach kids about electrical circuits!
How to Make a Battery from Lemons
Here’s how you can make your own homemade lemon battery that’s strong enough to light a bulb. This fun lemon battery science fair experiment creates what is called a wet cell battery; normal batteries are dry cells.
What you need for the Lemon Battery Science Fair Experiment:
- A penny or a copper coin or a copper strip
- A nail coated in zinc
- Some wires
- Sandpaper
- A knife
- 3 lemons
- A volt meter (optional) to help you understand the voltage produced by the lemon and can measure it.
5 Easy Steps to Make a Homemade Lemon Battery:
1. Polish and rub the zinc coated nail and the penny or copper coin with sandpaper.
2. Without cutting the lemon or breaking its skin, give it a few strong squeezes. Squeezing the lemon releases juices inside the lemon.
3. Make two slits on the top of the lemon, half an inch apart.
4. Insert a penny (or copper coin) into one slit and the zinc coated nail into the other slit.
5. Connect to a volt meter to see if voltage is produced by touching leads of voltmeter to both the penny and the zinc.
TIP: The power from one single lemon will not be strong enough to light a bulb or be used as a battery. You will need to connect several lemons together with metal wires for enough power or electricity to light a bulb from a lemon battery. Minimum two lemons will create a battery but 3 are better. See what happens if you add more lemons. What will the volt meter show? How strong will the bulb glow?
Fun Facts about Lemons
- In India, lemons are used in traditional Siddha Medicine and Ayurveda, due to the lemon’s anti-bacterial properties.
- One of the benefits of Lemon juice is that it is a digestive aid that cleans your liver.
- We all love to drink cold Lemonade on hot summer days. However, mixing sugar with the acidic lemon might not be a good idea for your teeth.
- Lemons contain many healthy substances such as citric acid, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, bioflavonoids, pectin, and limonene. These substances in lemon promote a healthy immune system and fight infection.
- The minerals found in Lemon juice improve the appearance of your hair, skin and nails.
- Lemons can help to get rid of acne, are useful when you have a fever or flu, can cure corns and calluses, ease eczema, lighten dark spots and blemishes, remove blackheads, freshen your breath, strengthen nails and even whiten your teeth.
- Lemons are green when they aren’t ripe yet, which makes it easy to mistake them with limes. Though lemons and limes are very similar, the easiest way to tell them apart is to look at the shape. A lemon has a shape like a football with stubs at opposite ends, while the lime has a circular or perfect oval shape.
Lemon Battery science Fair experiment Video for Kids
Here’s a great video for kids on how to make a battery from lemons:
Image sources, thanks and references:
Lemon Pie image – candacesalima.blogspot.com
Lemon Chicken image – theblog.jessikerbakes.com
Lemon Tart picture – rawfoodrecipes.com
Lemonade image – sciencedaily.com
Lemon Bars photo – parade.condenast.com
Lemon Butter-cake image with lemon juice glaze – cozycakescottage.com
Lemon Salmon Fish picture – healthykidscompany.com
Enjoyed this Easy Science for Kids Lemon Battery Science Fair Experiment? Find more exciting science fair project ideas and fun science fact for kids, free science worksheets for kids and free online interactive quizzes. For very lengthy info about lemons visit Wikipedia.
