After you gather all supplies, follow the steps below correctly. Your battery should light a tiny light bulb!
First, cut the cardboard into 7 squares about the width of a penny. Next, mix ¼ cup of vinegar and 3 teaspoons of salt in the bowl. Soak the cardboard squares in the vinegar for a few minutes.
Then make the battery by stacking the materials in this order:
1. Lay a penny down.
2. Shake off one cardboard square over the bowl so it is not dripping. Place it on top of the penny.
3. Lay a nickel on top of the cardboard. You now have one cell of the battery.
4.To start the next cell, put another penny on top of the nickel. Try to keep the sides of the coins that are touching dry. Then add another cardboard square and another nickel.
5. Continue adding cells in the same order—penny, cardboard, nickel.
6. When your battery is done, a nickel will be on the top.
Bend the wires of the LED so that they can fit around the top and bottom of the battery. (If the wires are too short, attach strips of aluminum foil to make them longer.) Press the shorter wire against the top nickel. The LED should light up!
Why does the battery work? A battery consists of two kinds of metal and a special liquid between them. One metal gives up electrons and the other one takes them. The electrons moving from one metal to the other through the liquid creates an electric current. That is how batteries generate electricity!
Activities:
1. After reading this selection, can you make batteries by yourself? Have a try.
2. This selection suggests mixing ¼ cup of vinegar and 3 teaspoons of salt to soak the cardboard square. What is the ratio of vinegar to salt? For 1 cup of vinegar, how much salt do you need?
3. Are there any other methods to make homemade batteries from scratch? Watch the videos to explore. Why do they work? Discuss with your learning partners.
