science experiments with light bulbs

Top 15 Light Related Science Experiments

Light experiments lets us unlock some of nature’s most intriguing riddles and appreciate the magic that illuminates our everyday experiences.

We have carefully selected the best light-related experiments, prioritizing fun and educational experiences that will surely engage young minds.

Our compilation of light experiments will illuminate the minds of students and teachers alike. This curated collection offers an extraordinary opportunity to explore the captivating world of light through hands-on activities.

1. Potato Light Bulb

Prepare to be amazed by the power of potatoes in our extraordinary potato light bulb experiments! In these captivating experiments, students will discover the remarkable ability of a humble potato to generate electricity and light up an LED bulb.

Learn more: Potato Light Bulb

2. Bending Light

In these mesmerizing light experiments, students have the opportunity to unravel the mysteries of refraction and explore the wonders of bending light.

3. Light Refraction

By engaging in these experiments, students will not only witness the mesmerizing effects of light refraction but also gain a deeper understanding of the scientific principles behind it.

4. Newton’s Light Spectrum Experiment

Step into the fascinating world of light and color with Newton’s Light Spectrum Experiment! Inspired by the groundbreaking discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton, these captivating experiments will take students on a journey to explore the nature of light.

5. Newton’s Prism Experiment

Learn about optics and unravel the mysteries of light with Newton’s Prism Experiment. Inspired by Sir Isaac Newton’s groundbreaking discoveries, these experiments offer a thrilling opportunity for students to explore the phenomenon of light dispersion and the creation of a vivid spectrum of colors.

6. Total Internal Reflection

These experiments provide a hands-on opportunity for students to observe and investigate how total internal reflection can be harnessed in practical applications such as fiber optics and reflective surfaces.

7. Colored Light Experiments

Prepare to immerse yourself in a vibrant world of colors with these captivating colored light experiments! In these hands-on activities, students will uncover the magic of colored light and its intriguing properties.

8. Capture a Light Wave

By employing innovative techniques and tools, students will learn how to capture and analyze light waves, unraveling the secrets hidden within their intricate patterns.

9. Home-made Kaleidescope

Unleash your creativity and embark on a mesmerizing journey of light and patterns with our homemade kaleidoscope experiments! By constructing your very own kaleidoscope, you’ll unlock optical wonders.

Learn more: Home-made Kaleidescope

10. Push Things with Light

Through engaging hands-on activities, students will experiment with the fascinating principles of photon momentum and the transfer of energy through light.

11. Erase Light with a Laser: The Photon Experiment

Can light be erased? Through hands-on activities, students will discover surprising answers. By utilizing lasers, students will learn about the principles of photon absorption and emission, investigating whether it is possible to erase light.

12. Exploring Shapes and Patterns on a Mirror Box

By creating your own mirror box, you’ll learn about optical illusions and reflections. In these experiments, students will explore the fascinating interplay between light, mirrors, and geometry.

Learn more: Exploring Shapes and Patterns on a Mirror Box

13. Electromagnetic Spectrum Experiment

Get ready for an illuminating adventure as we dive into the fascinating world of visible light where students will have the opportunity to explore the electromagnetic spectrum and unravel the mysteries of light.

 14. Light Patterns in a Box

By manipulating light sources and objects, students will witness the magic of shadows, diffraction, and interference, resulting in a dazzling display of intricate patterns and colors.

Learn more: Light Patterns in a Box

15. Light Maze

Prepare to navigate a mesmerizing journey through the enchanting world of light with our captivating light maze experiments! In these immersive activities, students will learn about the magic of manipulating light to create intricate mazes and pathways.

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• 68 Best Chemistry Experiments: Learn About Chemical Reactions
• Top 100 Fine Motor Skills Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers
• Top 40 Fun LEGO Science Experiments

3 Super Simple Light Experiments for Kids to Do

Literacy & ABCs Science Toddlers Grade School Kindergartners Preschoolers Experiment Paper Plates 19 Comments

Science experiments are always a big hit in my house and this light experiment for kids will brighten everyone’s day – literally!

3 Super Simple Light Experiments for Kids

What three things can light do? This is the guiding question for this simple and fun light experiment for kids.

To Set up Your Own Simple Light Science Experiment, You’ll Need:

• Magnifying glass
• Paper plate or anything opaque
• Piece of paper

Try our favorite 50 simple science experiments .

Talking About Science Basics with Kids

Science activities are always a great time to practice using fun science terms. This simple light science experiment introduces three new ones:

• penetrate: or when light will pass through an object to be visible on the other side
• reflect: or when the light bounces back at you, like with a mirror or something shiny
• stop: or when the light is blocked, not reflecting or penetrating
• variable: what changes in different steps on the experiment

It can help if you write down these words and their meanings on a piece of paper or flashcards.

You could use actual words or draw a picture.

For older kids, you could also dive a little bit deeper. I love this quick explanation about the properties of light from Ducksters .

Before Your Light Experiments for Kids

This simple science experiment includes an opportunity for making predictions and recording observations.

Predicting is just making a guess based on what you already know.

You could get started by asking your kids: “What do you know about light?”

Create a quick and simple legend for the light experiment.

Write down your children’s predictions and make a quick chart. One column is for the prediction and the other is for the observation, plus some rows for the variables.

Label the rows with the names of your three objects, or variables (what’s changing each time). Hint: mirror, magnifying glass, plate, etc.

At the top of one column write: “What will the light do?” . (Prediction)

And then above the other column, write: “What does the light do?” . (Observations)

As you experiment, you’ll also jot down what happens with the light, or what you observe. Observe and observation in science is just a fancy way to explain telling what you saw happening during the experiment.

Ask these helpful questions as you predict what happens:

• Will the light penetrate the paper plate or will it stop?
• Will the light reflect off of the magnifying glass or penetrate?
• And will the mirror stop the light?

Take time to look at each object, discuss the three terms associated with light (penetrate, reflect, stop).

Make predictions, or guesses, about what the light will do with each object.

Write your predictions in the first column of the chart.

Now Experiment with Light Together

Once your predictions are made and the properties of light have been discussed, it’s time to do the experiment.

Choose the first object and have your kids shine the flashlight at the object.

Watch how the light reacts with the object. Does it shine through, shine back at you, or stop completely?

Record on your observation chart what the light did with that object. Check to see if your predictions were correct.

Keep going with the rest of the objects, making sure to observe and record your findings.

Our Easy Light Experiments for Kids

We chose the mirror first. My son held the mirror and my daughter used the flashlight.

I encouraged them to explain what they noticed about the light. Both recognized that the light was shining back at us, or reflecting.

We talked for a minute about using “refect” to describe what the light was doing.

Keep shining with a simple indoor reflection activity !

My daughter wrote “reflect” in our observation column on our chart. I helped her with the spelling, but only a little.

The Paper Plate

Our second variable for the light experiment was the paper plate. This time my kids switched roles with my daughter holding the plate and my son shining the flashlight at the object.

My kids quickly noticed that the light didn’t go anywhere except for on the plate.

We discussed together how this showed that the light stopped because the plate blocks or stops the light. I also added in the word “opaque,” which means that light does not pass through.

My son recorded “stop” for the plate.

You can also introduce the word “absorb” to your kids at this point in the experiment, as that is another term for stopping the light.

Originally, the kids had thought that the plate might reflect the light. Our prediction was incorrect and we talked about that for a minute or so.

Learn more about opaque objects with a fun shadow play activity !

The Magnifying Glass

Our final object was the magnifying glass. It was my turn to shine the light as both my kids held the object.

This time the light went through the magnifying glass, shining onto the floor below. I shared the term “transparent,” meaning that light passes completely through, as we talked about this part of the experiment.

I recorded our findings on the chart. We reviewed each object and outcome together while comparing our observations to our predictions.

Keep Playing with Light!

Even though we had finished the “formal” experiment, my kids kept the learning going! They ran through the house, shining the flashlight on all sorts of objects and saying whether the light reflected, stopped, or penetrated.

I love how much ownership they took of their learning!

We love playing with a fun flashlight scavenger hunt for kids !

This fun extension activity went on for quite a while. And it’s something that I know I can keep returning to again and again, adding more challenging terminology as they grow.

What are some other fun science experiments for kids you have done? We’d love to check-out your creative learning ideas!

About alisha warth.

I have raised my children doing activities with them. As a homeschool mom, I am always looking for ways to make our learning fun. I'm honored to be able to contribute my ideas to the awesome site that is Hands On As We Grow.

More Hands on Kids Activities to Try

Reader Interactions

19 comments.

Stacey A Johnson says

November 24, 2020 at 8:46 pm

This is fantastic! Thank you for sharing! I have been putting science bags together to send home for my kinders because we are doing online school….I was looking for some light activities because we are going to tie them into the holidays we study in December. (The idea that most celebrations, customs, rituals, use some sort of light) I can’t wait to do this with them!

MaleSensePro says

February 10, 2020 at 11:29 pm

Its a great learning experience.. its indeed the best kind of way kids should learn, thanks for sharing :)

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Potato Light Bulb Experiment for Kids

How Can You Make a Potato Flashlight Project?

You may wonder what the link is between a potato, a light bulb and kids. It’s actually a great experiment about making electricity from a potato to illuminate a small light bulb. It teaches kids about the basics of making electricity and how wires allow electricity to move from one place to another in a complete circuit.

Understanding a Potato Battery

It is likely most kids will find it difficult to believe that a simple potato can make electricity to power a light bulb. However, the explanation is relatively simple. A potato contains sugar, water and acid. Certain types of metals – particularly copper and zinc – react with the potato when they are inserted inside. The metals effectively become electrodes, one positive and the other negative, and electrons flow between the metals inside the potato, making a small electric current. You can tap into the electricity by connecting wires from the electrodes to a light bulb to form a circuit. The electrons flow from the positive electrode to the light bulb and back to the negative electrode. The electrical current passing through the light bulb is enough to make it illuminate.

Making a Potato Battery

Put a 3-inch copper nail and a 3-inch zinc nail into the potato about 1 inch apart from each other. Push the nails to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches. Cut two 6-inch strips of very thin wire and remove 1/2 inch of plastic from the ends of the wire strips. Wrap one of the ends of each wire strip around the top of each nail. Put the opposite ends of the wire onto the two terminals on a 1-volt LED bulb. The LED illuminates, but it’s rather dim because very little electricity is made.

Increase Voltage

Use another potato to demonstrate how you can increase the voltage by wiring a second potato into the circuit to create a series. A series circuit increases the output voltage. For example, if one potato produces 1 volt, two potatoes produce 2 volts.

Put another copper and zinc nail into the second potato. Cut another 6-inch strip of wire. Remove the wire from the zinc nail in the first potato and wrap it around the zinc nail in the second potato. Wrap one end of the third strip of wire you have just cut around the zinc nail in first potato and the opposite end around the copper nail in the second potato. Place the opposite end of the wire from the copper nail in the first potato onto the LED bulb terminal and the opposite end of the wire from the zinc nail in the second battery onto the other LED terminal. The LED is much brighter than before.

Using Different Potato Varieties

Now that the kids know how potatoes can make electricity, repeat the experiment using different varieties. Some potatoes have higher water content, while some have more sugar. These different constituents affect the amount of electricity a potato can produce. Make a potato battery from each variety and record how bright the light is from each potato on a scale of one to five, to see which type of potato makes the best battery.

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• PhysLink: How can a Potato be used to Light a Light Bulb?; Lee Ellen Benjamin, MA

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James Stevens has been writing articles for market research companies in the U.K. since 1990. He has written various country profiles for inclusion in comprehensive market reports including Vision One Research and Investzoom Market Research. Stevens holds a General Certificate of Education from Chelmsford College of Further Education.

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Science project, heat from light bulbs.

Let there be light! At the flick of a switch, a light bulb can light or illuminate an entire room, but what else is happening? One the basic laws of physics, the conservation of energy , tells us that energy is neither created nor destroyed: rather, it can only be transformed from one form to another. In the case of the light bulb, electrical energy is being transformed into light and thermal (heat) energy. Different wattages and types of bulbs give off varying amounts of light and heat. In this light bulb science project, we'll be working with incandescent and compact fluorescent lamp bulbs (CFL’s).

What type of bulb and wattage produces the most heat?

• A goose-neck style lamp (make sure it can safely use all light bulbs listed!)
• 6 Incandescent light bulbs: 25 watt, 40 watt, 60 watt, 75 watt, 100 watt, and 150 watt
• 2 Compact Fluorescent light bulbs: 7 watt, 23 watt
• Thermometer
• Measuring tape or yard stick to measure distance between the thermometer and light bulb
• White towel
• A piece of paper and pencil to record your observations
• Lay out the white towel on a flat table.
• Place the lamp on one end of the towel.
• Making sure the lamp is unplugged, screw in lowest wattage bulb and keep the lamp turned off.
• Place the thermometer at the other end of the towel.
• Measure the distance between thermometer and light bulb.

• Check and record starting temperature of thermometer.
• Making sure the lamp is pointed at the thermometer, turn the lamp on and start the stopwatch.

• After 5 minutes have passed, measure and record the temperature on thermometer.
• Turn the lamp completely off and wait for the light bulb to cool down before removing it.
• Make sure that the thermometer has also cooled down to the initial starting temperature you recorded.
• Repeat steps 2-9 with the next highest wattage bulb until you’ve tested all the bulbs.

**Things to Remember**

• Always wait for the bulb and thermometer to cool down before testing any new bulbs!
• Be sure the lamp is turned off and unplugged completely when switching bulbs.
• Make sure distance between bulb and thermometer is the same for each trial.
• The starting temperature should always be the same for each trial.

Observations & Results

What did you observe? You may have noticed that the higher the wattage, the highter the temperature. The 150-watt incandescent bulb should have yielded your warmest measurement (Why do you think this is?), while the CFL’s should have been much cooler than most of the incandescent bulbs.

So what’s the difference between incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent bulbs? An incandescent bulb emits light through the heating of a small metallic coil called a filament surrounded by gases that heat to approximately 4000 F! While providing plenty of light, they release 90% of their energy as heat making them fairly inefficient in comparison to compact fluorescent lamp bulbs.

Compact fluorescent bulbs create invisible UV light that interacts with the coating of the bulb in order to create visible light. They are known to be more efficient and longer-lasting (and as you may have noticed, take longer to heat up).

Incandescent light bulbs burn much hotter than compact fluorescent light bulbs do. They possess very different properties—incandescent bulbs rely upon metals, gas and heat, while CFL’s rely more upon a reaction between the internal and outside materials. For these reasons, incandescent lights emit more heat energy than CFL’s.

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Bookmark this to easily find it later. Then send your curated collection to your children, or put together your own custom lesson plan.

Science Fun

Balloon Powered Lightbulb Science Experiment

In this fun and easy science experiment, we’re going to show you how to use a balloon to power a lightbulb. 

• CFL lightbulb
• A dark room

Instructions:

• Blow up the balloon and tie off the end.
• Move into the darkened space.
• Wait a few minutes for your eyes to adjust.
• Rub the balloon against your hair numerous times. 
• Hold the balloon by the tied end with one hand so that the top of the balloon dangles toward the floor.
• With your other hand, hold the CFL lightbulb near the balloon but do not move the lightbulb or touch the balloon. 
• Now move the balloon back and forth over the bulb, still not touching it, and observe what happens.

EXPLORE AWESOME SCIENCE EXPERIMENT VIDEOS!

How it Works:

Your hair imparted electrical charges called static electricity onto the balloon when rubbed against your hair. The CFL bulb also contains electrical charges and these are attracted to the electrical charges on the balloon. As you move the balloon, the electrical charges in the lightbulb move to try and connect with the electrical charges on the balloon. When these electrical charges move around in the bulb, they bump into chemicals in the lightbulb and create light. 

Make This A Science Project:

Try this easy balloon experiment with a medical glove. Does adding salt to the balloon have any noticeable effect on the experiment? Try the hair of different friends. Try rubbing the balloon on wool. Try different types of bulbs. Try different sized balloons. 

EXPLORE TONS OF FUN AND EASY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS!

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A Guide to the Potato Light Bulb Experiment | Potato Power

Have you ever heard of powering a light bulb using a potato?

If you haven’t and you or your children are fascinated by the very idea, you definitely should have a go at it.

Fortunately, it’s fairly simple to do and doesn’t even require much equipment!

You can do this at home and talk your child through the science of it. So, let’s start on a guide to the potato light bulb experiment.

What You Need To Know Before You Start

A potato can only power a low-power device, such as a light bulb. It’s not going to be a way to power up a computer or charge your smartphone – at least, not in this day and age.

You don’t need to worry about the electricity being passed through the wires, as it’s extremely low voltage, so this is a safe experiment to do even at home with young children. That said, you should always supervise a science experiment in case something goes wrong!

Use insulated wires, too.

How A Potato Works As A Battery To Supply Electricity

How does it work? It seems crazy that a potato can provide electricity, but it does. A potato has acid, water, and sugar inside it, and these cause a reaction when they come into contact with certain kinds of metal.

This reaction is what gives you the power, meaning that your “potato battery” will soon run out as the reaction stops. That could take a surprising amount of time, however.

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How Do Potatoes Power A Light Bulb Or LED?

The power generated by the reaction can be wired into a light bulb or an LED.

Potato Clock DIY Green Science Engineering Lab

• No batteries required
• Digital clock
• Potato power
• Science project

The metals buried in the potato serve as electrodes, and within the potato, electrons will flow back and forth, generating a small current of electricity.

When wired up to a light bulb or an LED light, this small electric current is enough to light it up for a short period of time.

You will need to make a circuit so that the current can flow.

How Many Potatoes Does It Take To Light A Bulb?

If the bulb is low-power, you can theoretically light it with just one potato, but it will be dim and may not work.

To properly light a bulb up, you will probably want to use several potatoes. This will definitely be the case if you want to illuminate more power-hungry bulbs and other devices.

An LED light will often need more than one potato as well in order to give it enough power to light up properly. If you’re doing the experiment with a child, make sure you have enough potatoes at hand to avoid disappointing them.

Ways To Increase Power Output

What if you want more power? You’re going to need more potatoes and more metal! You can keep adding “potato batteries” to your experiment for as long as you like. Halving the potatoes makes it easy to stand them up and stops them from rolling away.

You might find it useful to wire your potatoes up to a voltage reader so you can see what difference adding potatoes makes. Make some notes and test whether larger and smaller pieces of potato make a difference to the readings.

Does Boiling A Potato Increase Its Energy Output?

Amazingly, boiling a potato does increase its energy output. This is because the softer tissues allow the electrons to move around more freely, and therefore reduce the loss of energy as heat.

You should boil potatoes for about ten minutes, breaking down the structures and making them softer so that the electrons can pass back and forth easily.

It’s thought that this boost to the power – coupled with other methods – could one day see potatoes as a viable electricity source… but probably not for at least a few years.

This is a great variation to include in your experiment, so put a pot of potatoes on to boil, and then test their energy output against the raw potatoes.

Fruit Battery Science Experiment Kit

• Fruit battery
• Science experiment
• Powered by fruit
• Instructions included
• Fun project

It’s important to log the numbers, especially if you’re undertaking the experiment with a child; they’ll get more from it if they can compare the results easily.

What You Need For The Experiment

So what do you need to have in order to do this experiment? You might be surprised that most of the things you will already have at home, or you can pick them up easily from a nearby store.

Firstly, you’ll need a potato or preferably several potatoes.

If you want to compare boiled with raw, you’ll obviously need some of both kinds.

You will also need some metal. Zinc and copper are two metals that work very effectively with potatoes, and you can use anything that is made of them.

Nails are particularly easy to push into potatoes, so if you have zinc nails, you can use those, and they will also be easy to attach the wires to.

For copper, you can use copper coins if you have any, or any other copper item that is small and can be pushed into the potato. Cut a slit in the potato if necessary.

Next, you’re going to need some copper wire. If you plan on making multiple potato batteries, you should aim to get a length of copper wire and some wire cutters, so you can make several strips.

You may want to use insulated wire; although the current should be small, it’s better to be safe, especially if doing the experiment with children.

Finally, a light bulb, LED light, and/or something to read the voltage with, and you should be ready to start!

Potato Light Bulb Guide

To make a potato battery, cut a slit in your potato and push the copper penny (or another piece of copper) in as far as you can, leaving just a small edge protruding.

Push the nail into another part of the potato. Again, you want to push it a long way in, but don’t let it touch the penny.

Ideally, you want about an inch between them, so use large potatoes.

If you’re using a multimeter to read the current, you can start by finding out how much energy your potato generates by connecting its clips to the potato’s metal protrusions.

Put the red clip on the penny and the black clip on the nail (make sure the red wire is in the + slot, the black in the – slot of the meter).

Once you have a connection, get your child to look at how much power the potato generates.

If you know the requirement of your light bulb or LED, you should now be able to work out how many potatoes will be needed to power it. Cut some more potatoes, add the coins, nails, and wire, and see if you’re correct!

Next, try the experiment with boiled potatoes, and take some guesses about how many potatoes you think will be needed. See which of you gets closer.

Your child might also be interested in measuring how long the potato battery lasts for – however, this can actually be several days. You could leave your experiment on to measure it if they are keen.

Making a potato battery is a great way to do a little scientific experiment with your child, or to have a bit of fun for yourself.

You don’t need a lot of equipment to do it, and there are quite a few variables you can bring to the table to make it more interesting.

Whether potatoes will one day be powering our homes remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt that the potato battery is a popular experiment in households everywhere.

• Raise a Reader
• LEGEND OF PINEAPPLE COVE
• SCAREDY BAT
• Potato Light Bulb Experiment for Kids (Tinkering with Tink)

Looking for a fun and educational way to entertain the kids for a while? Got some extra potatoes laying around? We have the answer! The 'potato battery' or 'potato powered light' is a classic science experiment for teaching kids about the basics of electricity and how wires allow electricity to move from one place to another in a complete circuit.

You gotta love food science. And who knows? This science experiment could even get you out of a sticky situation someday. You may remember that the potato light was a life saver for Tink in the book Scaredy Bat and the Haunted Movie Set .  So without further ado, let's create a potato powered light, Tink style!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 potatoes
• Two pennies/coins
• Two zinc-plated nails
• Three pieces of copper wire (with or without alligator clips)
• Small light bulb or LED light
• Grownup Supervision

Be careful when handling the wires, because there is a small electric charge running through the wires. Hydrogen gas may also be a byproduct of the chemical reactions in the potato, so don't perform the experiment near open flames or strong sources of heat

Instructions:

Start with two potatoes to see if they can turn on the light. If not, then experimentation is the key...

• Insert a coin and the end of one piece of copper wire into the potato so that they are pressed together inside the potato
• Wrap the loose end of the wire around one of the nails and insert it into the other potato
• Push a nail into the potato with the coin in it and wrap the end of a piece of wire around the top of the nail
• Insert a coin and the end of one piece of copper wire into the potato that has no coin in it
• Connect the two loose ends of the wires to the light bulb and watch it light up!
• If you are using thin electric wire without alligator clips, you will need to remove some of the plastic covering.
• If the light doesn’t turn on, try turning the light around the other way (LEDS are polarized). If it still doesn’t work then try a different light.
• If it STILL doesn’t light up you may not have enough voltage. So you can try cutting the potatoes in half and adding in more coins and nails to make the circuit bigger.
• If you have a voltmeter, replace the light bulb with the test terminals of the voltmeter to test the voltage coursing through the potato circuit. Start with a small circuit of just one or two potatoes and work your way up to several potatoes, testing the voltage of each circuit. You can also try different types of potatoes to see which kind makes the most powerful circuit.

The Science:

We all know that electricity is what makes a light bulb work, right? The crazy thing is that there is electrical energy all around us, even in the food we eat. This experiment is leveraging that electrical energy. Here's how it works...

A potato contains sugar, water and acid. Certain types of metals – especially copper and zinc – react with the potato when they are inserted inside.

The copper and zinc have chemical energy . The zinc is more reactive than the copper so it wants to take electrons from the copper. In other words, the metals become electrodes , one positive and the other negative, and electrons flow between the metals. The potato acts as an electrolyte , which means it enables the electrons to flow through it.

When the nail and pennies are connected to a potato in a circuit, the chemical energy is converted to electrical energy .

You can tap into the electricity by connecting wires from the electrodes to a light bulb to form a circuit. The electrons flow from the positive electrode to the light bulb and back to the negative electrode. The electrical current passing through the light bulb is enough to make it light up.

What other kinds of food might work to create a battery? Perhaps a lemon?

Happy experimenting!

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Science Projects > Physics & Engineering Projects > Circuit Science Projects  

Circuit Science Projects

Have you ever wondered about the difference between batteries and electricity from wall outlets, or how to make a circuit?

You’ll learn about electrons and electrical current, batteries, circuits, and more on this page!

Build a Circuit

How to make a circuit? A circuit is a path that electricity flows along. It starts at a power source, like a battery, and flows through a wire to a light bulb or other object and back to other side of the power source. You can build your own circuit and see how it works with this project!

What You Need:

Or Try the Snap Circuits 300 Kit

• Small light bulb (or a flashlight bulb)
• 2 batteries (with the correct voltage for your light bulb)
• 2 alligator clip wires or aluminum foil*
• Paper clips
• Electrical tape (Scotch®tape also works)
• Bulb holder (optional)
• Battery holders (optional**)

*To use foil instead of wires, cut 2 strips each 6″ long and 3″ wide. Fold each one tightly along the long edge to make a thin strip.) **To use paper clips instead of battery holders, tape one end of a paper clip to each end of your battery using thin strips of tape. Then connect your wires to the paper clips.

Part 1 – Making a Circuit:

1. Connect one end of each wire to the screws on the base of the light bulb holder. (If you’re using foil, ask an adult to help you unscrew each screw enough to fit a foil strip under it.)

2. Connect the free end of one wire to the negative (“-“) end of one battery. Does anything happen?

3. Attach the free end of the other wire to the positive (“+”) end of the battery. Now what happens?

Part 2 – Adding Power

1. Disconnect the battery from your circuit. Stand one battery so that the “+” end is pointing up, then set the other battery next to it so that the flat “-” end is pointing up. Tape around the middle of the batteries to hold them together.

2. Set a paperclip across the batteries so that it connects the “+” end of one to the “-” end of the other. Tape the paperclip in place with a narrow piece of tape (do not tape over the metal battery ends).

3. Turn the batteries over and tape one end of a paper clip onto each of the batteries. Now you can connect one wire to each paper clip. (The bottom of the battery pack should only have one paper clip – do not connect a wire to it.)

4. Connect the free ends of the wires to the light bulb.

(Note: Instead of steps 1-3, you can use two batteries in battery holders and connect them together with one wire.)

What Happened:

Batteries supply electricity. When they’re connected properly, they can “power” things, like a flashlight, an alarm clock, a radio… even a robot!

Why didn’t the light bulb light up when you connected it to one end of the battery with a wire?

Electricity from a battery has to flow out one end (the negative or “-” end) and back in through the positive (“+”) end in order to work.

What you built with the battery, wire, and bulb in step 3 is called an open circuit .

In order for electricity to start flowing, you need a closed circuit . Electricity is caused by tiny particles with negative charges, called electrons .

When a circuit is complete, or closed, electrons can flow from one end of a battery all the way around, through the wires, to the other end of the battery. Along its way, it will carry electrons to electrical objects that are connected to it – like the light bulb – and make them work!

In the second part, you added another battery. That should have made the light bulb burn more brightly, because two batteries together can supply more electricity than just one!

The paper clip across the bottom of the battery pack allowed electricity to flow between the batteries, making the flow of electrons stronger.

Do you see how closed and open circuits work to allow or stop electricity from flowing?

Insulator or Conductor?

Materials that electricity can flow through are call conductors. Materials that stop electricity from flowing are called insulators.

You can find out which things around your house are conductors and which are insulators using the circuit you made in the last project to test them!

• Circuit with light bulb & 2 batteries
• Extra alligator clip wire (or aluminum foil wire*)
• Objects to test (made of metal, glass, paper, wood, and plastic)
• Worksheet (optional)

What You Do:

1. Disconnect one of the wires from the battery pack. Connect one end of the new wire to the battery. You should have two wires with free ends (between the light bulb and the battery pack).

2. You have made an open circuit and the bulb should not light up. Next you will test objects to see if they are conductors or insulators. If the object is a conductor, the light bulb will light up. It is is an insulator, it will not light. For each object, guess whether you think each object will complete the circuit and light up the light bulb or not.

3. Connect the ends of the free wires to an object and see what happens. Some objects you could test are a paper clip, a pair of scissors (try the blades and the handles separately), a glass, a plastic dish, a wooden block, your favorite toy, or anything else you can think of.

Before you test each object, guess whether it will make the light bulb light up or not. If it does, the object you’re touching the wires to is a conductor.

The light bulb lights up because the conductor completes, or closes, the circuit and electricity can flow from the battery to the light bulb and back to the battery! If it doesn’t light up, the object is an insulator and it stops the flow of electricity, just like an open circuit does.

When you set up the circuit in step 1, it was an open circuit. Electrons could not flow all the way around because two of the wires were not touching. The electrons were interrupted.

When you placed an object made of metal between the two wires, the metal closed or completed the circuit – the electrons could flow across the metal object to get from one wire to the next! Objects that completed the circuit made the light bulb light up. Those objects are conductors. They conduct electricity.

Most other materials, like plastic, wood, and glass are insulators. An insulator in an open circuit does not complete the circuit, because electrons cannot flow through it! The light bulb did not light up when you put an insulator in between the wires.

If you’re using wires or alligator clips, take a good look at them. Inside they are made of metal, but they have plastic around the outside. Metal is a good conductor. Plastic is a good insulator. The plastic wrapped around the wire helps keep electrons flowing along the metal wire by blocking them from transferring to other object outside of the wires.

Circuit Science Lesson

What is electricity.

Everything around you is made up of tiny particles called atoms.

Atoms have even smaller particles inside them called electrons . Electrons always have a negative charge.

When electrons move, they produce electricity!

Electricity is the movement or flow of electrons from one atom to another . Don’t worry if this seems complicated. It is!

Electrons are called subatomic particles , which means that what they are doing is happening inside atoms, so this is pretty complicated science.

Do you remember learning about magnets ? They have positive and negative charges and opposite charges (+” and “-“) are attracted to each other. Well, it’s the same for electrical charges. The negatively charged electrons try to match up with positive charges in other objects.

How do electrons move from one atom to another?

They float around their atoms until they receive enough electrical energy to be pushed.

The energy that makes them move comes from a power source, like a battery or electrical outlet.

This works sort of the same way as water flows through a hose when you turn on the faucet.

When you turn on a switch or plug in an appliance, electrons flow through wires and come out as electricity, which we sometimes call “power.”

You probably know what some electronic items use batteries and some can be plugged into a wall outlet.

What’s the difference? The electricity that comes from the outlets in your home is very powerful – it has lots of electrons flowing with lots of energy.

It is called alternating current , or AC. Electrons in AC travel back and forth very quickly (as fast as light can travel) through wires across hundreds of miles from big power plants to outlets built into the walls of houses and buildings.

Because AC current is so powerful, it can also be very dangerous. You should never touch a power line or stick your fingers or objects other than electrical plugs into outlets. You can receive a big shock that could harm you from the strong currents flowing through wires and outlets.

Batteries provide a much less powerful form of electricity called direct current, or DC. In direct current, electrons only travel in one direction – from the negative (-) end, or terminal, to the positive (+) terminal, through the battery and back out the “-” end again.

The current flowing through wires connected to batteries is much safer than AC current.

It is also very useful for powering small things, like cell phones, radios, clocks, toys, and more.

All About Circuits

A circuit is a path that electricity flows along. If the path is broken, it is called an open circuit and the electrons can’t flow all the way around. If the circuit is complete, it is a closed circuit and electrons can flow all the way around from one end of a power source (like a battery), through a wire, to the other end of the power source. In a battery circuit, the positive and negative ends of a battery need to be connected through a circuit in order to share electrons with a light bulb or other object connected to the circuit.

A switch is something that allows you to open and close a circuit. If you turn on a light switch in your house, you are closing, or completing, the circuit. Inside the wall, the switch completes a circuit and electricity flows to the light. When you turn the light switch off, the circuit gets disconnected (now it’s an open circuit ), electrons stop flowing, and the light goes out.

The negatively charged electrons we talked about above can’t “jump” around to match up with positive charges – they can only move along from one atom to the next. That’s why circuits have to be complete in order to work.

Life Without Electricity

Has the electricity ever gone out where you live?

Sometimes strong wind and storms can knock down power lines (tall poles holding thick wires that electricity flows through), breaking the flow of electricity.

When that happens, the electrons stop flowing and can’t make it to wherever they were heading. When no electricity is flowing into your house, none of the lights or outlets will work!

If it’s dark outside, it will be dark inside, too.

Computers, telephones, microwaves, radios, and other things that have to be plugged in to work will stop working.

If you’ve lost power before, can you describe what it was like?

Were you doing anything that got interrupted?

Did you have to use candles to see?

If you have never experienced a power outage before, try to think about all the things you do each day that require electricity.

How would your day change if you didn’t have any electricity? Are there things you could use that are powered by batteries instead?

• Check out this science lesson to learn more about energy and different types of electricity.

Science Words

Electrons – tiny particles inside of atoms that always have a negative charge. They are what cause electricity.

Current – electrons flowing to produce electricity.

Open Circuit – a broken path that electrons are not able to flow along.

Closed Circuit – an uninterrupted path that electrons can flow along from a power source back to the other end of the power source.

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DIY Potato Battery: Potato Light bulb Science Fair Project

• October 20, 2021
• 7-9 Year Olds , Physics , Science Fair Ideas

A potato battery is an interesting way to introduce kids to basic electricity. They are cheap, easy-to-make, safe experiments that will teach them about simple circuits. This experiment is an easy way to teach kids about basic electricity.

Purpose: The purpose of the experiment is to show how you can use potatoes as a power source.

Check out our Lemon Battery Experiment

Materials Needed

Get these handy before starting.

• 2 large potatoes 
• 2 zinc nails 
• 2-3 pieces of copper wire 
• 1 light bulb or LED light 
• Tube of Glue

Alternatively, you can also use ready to use kits :

Building a Potato Battery – Procedure

• Place the large potatoes on your experiment desk/table. The reason why we chose this vegetable specific is that Potatoes have an acid in them that reacts with metals like copper and zinc.

2. Push the two zinc nails in both potatoes. One each. 

3. After that, wrap one wire around either of the zinc nails. This is done because, during the chemical process, electrons start to flow from one electrode to the other.

They both have different charges, opposite to be precise since they are made of two different metals.

The potato does not have the ability to generate electricity on its own, it acts like a salt bridge connecting the positive and negative, the anode to the cathode. Thus, representing batteries. 

4. Try wrapping or connecting the other wire with the remaining nail. This will close the circuit and ensure current flows.

Although two potatoes can generate electricity, they may not be able to power a huge device. For that reason, you could add as many potatoes and wires as you’d prefer. That would increase the voltage automatically.

Nonetheless, the procedure will remain the same and the overall effect will be provisional. 

5. Connect both the copper wires to the bottom of the light bulb. Stabilize it on the desk so it sits upright. We’ll have one connection out of two established after this step is completed. 

The connected LED light bulb glows and when measured the voltage from the connecting wires. we found that when a new potato was used, the voltage was around 2 volts.

As we went on and used potatoes that were not as fresh, the voltage began to decline and eventually turned out to be almost zero volts.

How Does a Potato Battery Work

Have you really observed that certain batteries possess a positive copper side (represented by a plus [+] sign) as well as a negative copper end (represented by a minus [-] sign)? Zn is a material that enjoys sharing electrons with copper.

Normally, zinc just donates its electron to Cu metal and the reaction ends. You may create a loop with a continuous channel of energy by providing the electrons with a medium known as an electrolyte to aid them to migrate to the copper & a wire through which they can travel from the Cu back to the zinc.

A potato battery is a simple electrochemical cell that can be made from potatoes. This is an electrochemical cell that uses the rapid movement of negatively charged particles to transform chemical energy among two metallic electrodes.

The concentration of starch liquids in potato, coupled with the rods, enables the potato to work as a cell, according to the potato rechargeable batteries concept. Copper & zinc are indeed the metals utilised in this experiment, and they react with one another to generate chemical energy.

Copper atoms are more attractive to electrons than zinc atoms. Several electrons move from the Zn metal to the Cu when a piece of copper & a strip of zinc make contact. The electrons reject one another as they focus on the copper.

This movement of electrons stops whenever the force of repelling among electrons as well as the attraction of electrons on Cu are equalised.

Instead of generating electricity, the potatoes serve as just an electrolyte. As a result, by splitting zinc & copper, it compels electrons to pass via the potato, forming a closed loop.

A little portion of potato electrical energy is produced by only utilizing 2 potatoes. Its power output could be enhanced by increasing the count of potatoes.

Even though the 2 metals were not in contact without any of the potatoes, electrons might be transferred, but no energy would be generated because the loop will be incomplete.

Aside from carbohydrates, potatoes include a substantial quantity of elec­trolyte in the form of different soluble acids and salts.

The Zn wire inside the “bat­tery” acts as a negative electrode called (anode), while the copper cable acts as a positive electrode called a cathode.

An oxidation and reduction reaction occurs on the an­ode and on the cath­ode respectively. 

Chemical Equation for potato battery is :

Potato + Zinc ==> Zinc ion + Sodium ion

Potato Battery This reaction is a redox reaction, which means that the chemical reaction involves a change in oxidation state. In this case, zinc is reduced and sodium is oxidized.

The potato battery works by using zinc ions to reduce the sodium ions. These zinc ions then go on to oxidize the potato molecules and create electricity.

This chemical reaction occurs because of a change in oxidation state, which is why it’s called an electrochemical battery.

Potato Battery Kits

Now that we’ve got the scientific bit out of it, let’s move on to Potato Battery Kits you can find on Amazon. That way, you’ll be able to conduct the experiment at your convenience and ease, while remaining stress-free. Find the list below: 

STEM Toys: Chemistry Engineering Lab

STEM toys will ensure your child gets to experience only the best! 

It primarily fixates on the Potato Battery Charged Digital Clock, so you get to experiment on something other than an LED light. In addition to that, it’s child-friendly and makes the whole journey easy and fun for young enthusiasts by specifying each part of the process in a simple way. STEM also teaches its audience about the ‘transformative power of green science’ through their kit. 

The Salt Water and Potato Battery Kit

Well, the exploration begins with this kit! it offers you several attributes you must always look out for in a kit. Firstly, it’s got 4 different types of output materials. While at home you’d be experimenting with an LED or tube light, this kit gives you the option to explore your ‘current’ with completely different sources. Trust us, it’s worth the money you’ll be spending. 

Secondly, it is inclusive of extras. With 6 times the regular amount, the Salt Water and Potato Battery Kit gives you the same material with a higher quantity. Thus, you could conduct the same experiment six different times which is twice the number of times other kits would lend themselves to. 

Thirdly, it lets you experiment with different inputs. Typically, we’d use a potato at home to conduct this scientific exploration, but this kit offers you other types of acids like lemon, vinegar, sodium etc. You’ll be exposed to so many more kinds of results and can compare them after you’re done playing around! 

Lastly, the kit has a 10-page booklet that has instructions and other guidelines written down for you. That means you don’t have to go over the internet to understand what you’re supposed to do. It’s already there. But hey, don’t forget to read our post! 

Get yours as quickly as possible! 

We are in love with these kits. They have something for everyone! We hope you all had a great time learning about the experiment and wish you all the best in your own science experiments!

What to do in case the experiment fails? 

There are times you might not be successful in generating electricity. This could be due to the following reasons: 

• Loose Nails : You need to ensure that nails are properly inserted into the potato.
• Loose Wires : Make sure to wrap your wires around the nails tightly. At times, they start to de-coil. This will hamper the experiment as there will be no flow of current. 
• Type of metal : You must understand that potatoes react with specific metals only. Another property to keep in mind is that the metals need to oppose each other.
• Condition of potato: Your chosen potatoes must exist in their natural conditions. You have to do nothing to them. Bare potatoes will work most efficiently. 

Safety Measures you must take

• All experiments require adult supervision.  
• Please don’t conduct the experiment if you are not familiar with the process. This is a very easy and fun science experiment for kids of all ages, but can be dangerous if performed incorrectly.
• Do not touch the battery terminals while performing this experiment.
• If you are not sure of something, please ask an adult before proceeding with the experiment.

Besides these important aspects of the experiment, there are common questions that tend to arise. Let’s try looking at a few: 

• How much electricity can a potato generate? 

While this is one of the most frequently asked questions, the answer still remains subjective. There are several factors that are at play during the experiment. Reducing or increasing the effect of one on the other will tamper with the final results.  Generally, one potato produces around 0.5 volts of energy. However, a boiled one can produce 5.

• How many potatoes does it take to charge your phone? 

If you’re stranded on an island with no battery on your phone, but a potato in your backpack, chances are you could be saved.  It’s simple math. 1 potato generates 0.5 volts and 0.2 milliamps. Your phone charger output requires 5 volts and 2 milliamps to begin charging your phone. Thus, 10 potatoes would work perfectly. However, if you’re at home and have the patience to boil a potato, you’d only need 1-2. 

• How long can a potato power a light bulb? 

Even a single potato could do wonders for you. The only things you must keep in mind is the acid in the potato and the condition of the nails and wires. They shouldn’t corrode. If that’s sorted, then your battery could last for several hours. Some people even run it for days. That’s because they have good quality, stable equipment at their disposal. 

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Lighting Light Bulbs

Activity length, 30-40 mins., electricity, activity type.

Exploration

In this activity, students will experiment with batteries and light bulbs to learn about series and parallel circuits.

There are 2 different types of circuits:

• Series circuits 

There is only one path from the source through all of the loads (resistance) and back to the source. In other words, all of the bulbs are on the same loop. Each light added in series makes all of the others dimmer, since each light bulb slows down the flow of current. A broken light will interrupt the whole circuit. 

• Parallel circuits

Every load (resistance) is connected in a separate path and receives the full circuit voltage. In other words, each bulb is connected on a separate loop to the energy source. Two lights connected in a parallel circuit will be as bright as one by itself. The drawback is that the energy source gets drained quickly.

Demonstrate the different ways to complete a circuit (parallel or series).

Per Class: wire cutters wire strippers

Per pair of students: 1 D-cell battery four 10 cm lengths of insulated wire 2 light bulbs (with a rating of no more than 2 volts each) Electric Circuits Worksheet (one per student)

Key Questions

• Part 1: Light the bulb In how many different ways can you light the bulb?
• Which of the configurations on the worksheet had you already tried?
• What is the same about all the circuits that light up the bulb?
• How about all the circuits that don’t light up the bulb?
• What other materials could we use instead of wires?
• Part 2: Light the bulb Why are the bulbs in Circuit A glowing dimly?
• Why are the bulbs in Circuit B glowing brightly?
• When you remove one of the bulbs from its holder in Circuit A, why does the other bulb turn off?
• What type of circuit do you think we have in our homes?
• In Circuit B, why does the second bulb stay on?
• How are decorative lights (like Christmas tree lights) connected?

Preparation

• Cut enough lengths of insulated wire for the class.
• Strip both ends of every wire.
• Gather together sets of materials, one for each group.
• Divide students into groups of 2 or 3.
• Provide each group with one battery, one bulb and one wire.

Part 1: Light the bulb 

• Challenge the students to light the bulb using only the battery and 1 wire.
• As students find ways to light their bulbs, have them draw their configuration.

Part 2: Dimmer and brighter 

• Give each group two mini-lights, two wires, and a pair of batteries. Tape the batteries together (it may be convenient to tape the batteries to the table or to a paper plate.
• Set up Circuit A and observe the bulbs.
• Remove one of the bulbs from its socket and see what happens.
• Set up Circuit B and observe the bulbs. Compare your findings with Circuit A.
• Option: Hand out the Electirical Circuit Worksheet.
• Provide more bulbs and lengths of wire to compare longer series and parallel circuits.
• Join the class together to create a giant series and a giant parallel circuit!
• Try and light a standard household bulb. You may have to use all the batteries in the class lined up together!
• Provide students with different examples of everyday circuits e.g. Christmas lights, lamps, power bars etc. and investigate whether they are in series, parallel or a combination.

Other Resources

BC Hydro | Exploring Simple Circuits

BC Hydro | Exploring Series and Parallel Circuits

BC Hydro | Electrical Safety

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Potato Battery Experiment: Powering a Light Bulb With a Potato

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Did you know you could power a light bulb with a potato? The chemical reactions that take place between two dissimilar metals and the juices in the potato create a small amount of voltage that can power a very small electrical device [source: MadSci].

Follow the instructions below to make a potato battery .

How to Make a Potato Battery

The science behind potato battery experiments, using potato batteries to power other devices.

• One potato (ideally large)
• Two pennies
• Two galvanized nails (zinc-plated nails)
• Three pieces of copper wire
• A very small light bulb or LED light

What You Need to Do:

• Cut the potato in half, then cut a small slit into each half, large enough to slide a penny inside.
• Wrap some copper wire around each penny a few times. Use a different piece of wire for each penny.
• Stick the pennies in the slits you cut into the potato halves.
• Wrap some of the third copper wire around one of the zinc-plated nails and stick the nail into one of the potato halves.
• Take the wire connected to the penny in the half of potato with the nail and wrap some of it around the second nail. Stick that second nail into the other potato half.
• When you connect the two loose ends of the copper wires to the light bulb or LED, it will complete the electrical circuit and light up.

Be careful when handling the wires, because there is a small electric charge running through the wires. Hydrogen gas may also be a byproduct of the chemical reactions in the potato, so don't perform the experiment near open flames or strong sources of heat [source: MadSci].

Batteries store energy for later use, but where does the energy come from? All batteries rely on a chemical reaction between two metals.

In a potato battery, the reaction — between the zinc electrodes in the galvanized nails, the copper in the penny, and the acids in the potato — produces chemical energy.

The potato doesn't produce electricity, but it does allow the electron current to flow from the copper end to the zinc end of the battery.

You can try using multiple potatoes to power other battery-equipped devices, like a clock.

In the battery compartment, connect the potato with a copper coin inside to the positive terminal (marked with a "+") and a potato with a galvanized nail inside to the negative terminal (marked with a "-"). Learn more about how to make a potato clock.

With any potato battery experiment, if your battery doesn't power your device on the first try, you can try increasing the number of potatoes. You can also use other fruits and vegetables to make batteries — lemon, which is highly acidic, is a popular choice.

"Food Batteries." MadSci Network. Mar. 14, 1998. (Sep. 20, 2023). https://www.madsci.org/experiments/archive/889917606.Ch.html

Potato Battery FAQ

How does a potato battery work, can a potato light up a light bulb, why does my potato battery not work, how many amps of energy can a potato battery produce, does using a boiled potato result in more power.

Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article:

Make a Light Switch Circuit - Learn how to make a circuit that powers a light with a on-off switch

Posted by Admin / in Energy & Electricity Experiments

A simple, but interactive circuit to teach kids about electricity is a light with switch. In this experiment kids can make a flashlight circuit. Instead of the flashlight circuit being placed inside of a plastic flashlight case, it will be set up on a table where each piece is is easy to see.

Materials Needed

• Insulated copper wire(about 2 feet)
• Wire stripper
• single-pole switch
• incandescent light bulb

EXPERIMENT STEPS

Step 1: Cut the insulated wire in 3 equal size pieces.

Step 2: Strip 1/2" of insulation off the end of each wire.

Step 3: Attach both ends of the loose wire to the battery holder. Connect one side to the positive (+) side and the other side to the negative (-) side. Do not insert the battery yet.

Step 4: Connect the other side of the positive wire to one side of the switch.

Step 5: Connect one side of the 3rd wire that was prepared in Step 1 to the other side of the switch.

Step 6: Connect the other side of the wire just connected in Step 5 to one side of the light bulb base. Selecting the right light bulb is the key to keeping this experiment simple. Light bulbs are rated for a small range of voltage. Select a light bulb that can be powered from the amount of battery power that you plan to provide.

Step 7: Using the loose side of the wire connected to the negative side of the battery, connect the other side of the light bulb base.

Science Learned

A flashlight is an example of a simple DC light circuit with a switch. In this experiment, we set up a simple light switch circuit to show how a switch can complete an electronic circuit and make the light bulb light-up or turn off.

Bakersfield College Light Bulb Circuit Experiments: Explanation and demonstration of using light bulbs in a circuit. .

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How to Make a Simple Battery

in Energy and Electricity Experiments

Make a simple battery using coins and other common items.

Solar Energy Experiment for Kids

Teach kids how light is used to generate electricity in this solar energy experiment.

Beginner Electronics Experiment For Kids

This experiment is a good starting point for kids to begin learning about electronics.

LED Solar Circuit Experiment

Learn how to make an electrical circuit to power an LED using solar power.

How to Make an Electromagnet

Test the relationship between electricity and magnetism by making an electromagnet.

Power a Light with Static Electricity

Use static electricity to power a light bulb!

Microwave Light Bulb

Make a metal filament glow from microwaves, not electricity.

Print this Experiment

We heard that it’s possible to actually make a light bulb light-up without any electricity. We figured it out.

Experiment Videos

Here's What You'll Need

Incandescent light bulb (has a tungsten filament), small microwave-safe cup or glass, heavy glove, adult supervision, let's try it.

Before we tell you anything about the experiment, you need to do two very important things:

• Get permission from an adult to conduct this experiment and use a microwave.
• Ask an adult to supervise your experiment.

Done those two things? All right, let’s do this!

If the microwave you are using has a rotating tray on the bottom, take it out.

Grab a small (no taller than a light bulb) microwave-safe cup or glass and fill it one-half full with water.

Place the light bulb, socket-end first, into the glass of water and set the glass in the center of the microwave.

Close the door of the microwave and set the time at 45 seconds.   DO NOT SET THE MICROWAVE FOR ANY LONGER THAN 45 SECONDS! THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD!

Stand back and watch what happens.

Before removing the glass and light bulb from the microwave, allow them to cool and use a heavy glove as they will be hot.

How Does It Work

Microwave appliances work by sending out tiny waves of energy, called microwaves. These waves of energy pass through the glass of the light bulb to excite the tungsten filament inside. The tungsten is thin enough that it glows when excited by the energy waves. This is the same thing that happens when an electrical current, like the one from a light socket, passes through the tungsten filament.

For a moment, you might have thought that the light bulb was going to explode in a flurry of glass shards and metal. Luckily it doesn’t explode because you are shielding the bulb from the full effect of the microwaves by covering the metal end with water.

Science Fair Connection

Making a light bulb glow in a microwave is pretty cool, but it isn’t a science fair project.  You can create a science fair project by identifying a variable, or something that changes, in this experiment.  Let’s take a look at some of the variable options that might work:

• Try testing different brands of incandescent light bulbs. Which one lights up the brightest? Which one takes the least amount of time to light up? What does this tell you about each brand’s energy efficiency?

These are just a few ideas, but you aren’t limited to them! Try coming up with different ideas of variables and give them a try. Remember, you can only change one thing at a time.  If you are testing different substances, make sure that the other factors are remaining the same.

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Build A Potato Battery – a Circuit STEM Activity for the Science Fair

We love our STEM Activities . As a child STEM wasn’t a thing in my world, but you know what was big? The science fair! Now that we homeschool, I love challenging my children to explore science the way I used to at these fairs. So we decided to tackle a project that is a little more earthy, building a Potato Battery .

Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links

Potato Battery – An alternative energy source? 

What you will discover in this article!

One of our interests is alternative energy sources. In the past we have explored wind power and solar power  in our homeschool, but this time we thought it would be fun to try something different. A few months ago we watched a story out of about some research being done at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem . They had discovered a way to create enough power to light an LED bulb with a potato!

Now circuit building is a big thing around here, we’ve built so many different circuits over the years. Not once, though, have we used food. It was time for a new challenge!

Supplies to build a Potato Battery

Potatoes – We used large Russet Potatoes Zinc Plates Copper Plates Electrical Tape Alligator Clips and Wires LED light bulbs MultiMeter

You will also need a stove top, water, and tongs.

How to Build a Potato Battery

The process of building the potato battery is relatively simple but will involve some investigation and testing. Just like any great experiment.

Start by slicing your potatoes lengthwise into approximately 3/4 inch wide strips. Boil the potatoes for 8 minutes. Do not over boil, you need the pieces to remain firm. Remove from water and let cool.

Tape a zinc plate to the bottom and the copper plate to the top of one slice of potato. Leave enough of the plates at the ends so you can attach the alligator clips. Take a voltage reading with the multimeter.

A single slice from our potato produced 0.88 volts! How cool!

Now put together more slices so you can build a battery cell.

To connect each cell to the next you need to connect them the same way you would batteries, positive to the negative. Or copper to zinc. So on the first slice attach the lead to the copper, then attach the other end to the next slice on the zinc plate. On the second slice attach a lead to the copper plate, then attach the other end to the zinc on the third slice. Continue this across your pieces until they are all connected. You will notice that the zinc on the first slice is not connected to anything, and the copper on your last slice is not connected to anything.

Here is our final wiring with black leads added to the free plates.

Now attach leads to those end pieces and take another reading on the multimeter. You can even do these readings as you add each cell to see how much extra power each cell is adding to your potato battery. We did 5 cells and ended up producing 4.35 volts!

As a comparison we tested two AA batteries and they only produced 3.2 volts.

Now the big test, attach the leads to your LED and see if you can get your bulb to light up.

We lit up a light bulb with potatoes!! How cool is that?

Potato Battery – The Science

The idea of creating a battery from potatoes is such a cool idea, but we definitely had to do some research to understand the science.

In each cell a chemical reaction is happening between the two metals and electrolytes which transport charged particles called ions. In our project, the copper and zinc are our metals – functioning as our cathode (+ terminal) and anode (- terminal) and the potato is providing the electrolytes.

When we hook up our potatoes to the multimeter or LED,  electrons are transferred along the wires to create power.

For a really in depth look at electricity science, this is a great resource at How Things Work .

Want to learn more about the chemical reaction between zinc and copper? Check out this video.

The reason for boiling the potato is that it breaks down the resistance and allows it to conduct the electrolytes more freely. We tested both boiled and raw, and recorded an approximately 15% increase in voltage.

Potato Battery – The Challenges

The research from the university said they could power a light bulb for a month, and the description made it sound like it only required one cell to work. We found there was no way only one cell would power our LED. It was only once we had 5 cells that we generated enough power and even then the bulb was not as bright as when we attached it to our AA batteries. We also found that it wouldn’t light certain LEDs and we never could figure out why. We are planning on returning to this activity and testing more variables. This is one science fair activity that could include a lot of depth and complexity. We feel like we’ve barely scraped the surface of our studies on this topic.

The Next Food Battery Challenges

We had so much fun building our Potato Battery we decided to try our hand at building a Lemon Battery. It was a great way to compare using different foods in this science experiment to power a light bulb. So which was better, a potato batter or a lemon battery? Check out our Lemon Battery Science Experiment to find out!

After success with our Lemon Battery, we made a Pumpkin Battery ! This is a fantastic fall project you can do with all types of Squash.

5 Days of Smart STEM Ideas for Kids

Get started in STEM with easy, engaging activities.

Lemon Light Bulb Experiment

Did you know that you could easily make a battery at home ?

You can do that by using lemons.

Yes, lemons!

Lemons are sour and carry a lot of citric acid.

Of course, it will not be a powerful battery that can power your refrigerator or a toy car.

But the chemical reaction generates enough energy to power a small LED light and make it light up a bit.

Lemon battery experiments for kids is not hard at all, but you do need a few special equipment.

This lemon science project is a fun science experiment for kids, too.

Let’s start building lemon cells step by step.

How To Use Lemon To Power Light

Learn how to use fruits to generate electricity.

• lemons (You can start with 4. In general, the more you use, the more power can be generated)
• low voltage LED light bulb (you can buy small LED diodes or get one from an old Christmas string light decoration)
• pieces of copper wire
• galvanized zinc nails (the same number as the number of lemons used)
• electrical wires or alligator clips wires
• wire cutter
• adult supervision

Instructions

• Roll and squeeze the lemons a little bit by hand to release the juice inside.
• In each lemon, insert 1 zinc nail and 1 small strip of copper wire. Leave a small section in each one out for the electrical wires to connect.

• In the first lemon, connect the copper to the long leg of the mini LED bulbs. In the last lemon, connect the nail to the shorter end of the LED light (the shorter leg comes out of the flat side of the LED).

Basics of Battery

Batteries are made of two different types of metal suspended in an acidic solution.

In this experiment, copper and zinc (galvanized nails are zinc-plated) are the two metals. The acidic lemon juice serves as the acidic solution.

An electric current is created when the two metals have different tendencies to lose the negatively charged  electrons .

Because zinc metal loses electrons more readily than copper, zinc is the  negative electrode  (anode) and copper is the  positive electrode (cathode). 

When the battery is connected with a LED bulb, it becomes a  closed complete circuit.

The zinc electrode, the LED bulb, and the copper electrode form a complete electronic circuit for the electrical current to go through.

Let's explore more in this classic science experiment. Can you try the experiment again with the following modifications and see what differences they make?

• Use a different types of citrus fruits to make a fruit battery.
• Use other substances such as a vegetable or a cup of tap water as the conducting solution.
• Use different metals as the electrodes.
• Can you make a coin battery using the same principles?
• Can a potato battery work similarly?
• Is a sour flavor in fruits necessary for the battery to work?

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• Electrochemical Cells  by HyperPhysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University

Last update on 2024-08-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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