You probably have a lemon or two in your house and if you are in LA you probably have your very own tree.
The lemon battery is a simple type of electrical battery. Typically, a piece of zinc metal and a piece of copper metal are inserted into a lemon. Everyday objects such as galvanized nails and copper pennies can be used for the zinc and for the copper. Several lemons can be wired together to form a more powerful battery that will power a light-emitting diode (LED), a buzzer, or a digital clock.
The lemon battery illustrates the chemical reactions that occur in batteries. The zinc and copper are called the electrodes of the battery, and the juice inside the lemon is called the electrolyte.
What you need:
- 1 LED
- 3 or 4 Lemon (lime, orange, grapefruit, potato also work)
- 3 or 4 Zinc electrodes (e.g. galvanized roofing nails, galvanized screws and bolts, paper clips)
- 3 or 4 Copper electrodes
- 5 or 6 Leads
Read on for the instructions.