The middle school that I'm observing for one of my classes is reviewing energy transformation this coming week and I decided to create a homemade battery to help the students see how the chemical energy of the cell is converted to electrical energy. After looking around the internet for some good ideas, I decided to try this one out. It's a pretty simple setup composed of items you can generally find in your home, although you will probably have to purchase some zinc strips. The electrolyte is a mixture of 2 parts water to 1 part hydrogen peroxide. Each cell contributes approximately 0.8V and when wired in series, should push close to 5V with 6 cells. I'm hoping that there is enough amperage to light a small bulb and run a small 1.5V buzzer, showing electrical to light and electrical to sound conversions. Once the demo is completed, I'll try to post a reflection about how it went and what can be improved. Here's to hands-on science!
No comments:
Post a Comment