Download Producing Potato Power

S-6-6-2_Potato Power and KEY
Name ___________________________ Date ______________
Producing Potato Power
Question: Which materials produce the most electrical current through a potato?
Materials:
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1 potato
about 4 inches of copper wire with insulation stripped
1 steel nail, #6 or 8
1 zinc-plated nail, #6 or 8
voltmeter that can read tenths of a volt
Procedure:
1. Carefully push each of the nails into the potato about 1 inch deep, as close as possible
without touching at all. These are the battery terminals.
2. Turn on the voltmeter and adjust it to the DC volt setting.
3. Touch one of the voltmeter leads (wires) to each nail. Record the voltage in the data table.
4. Repeat steps 1–3, using the steel nail and the copper wire.
5. Repeat steps 1–3, using the zinc plated nail and the copper wire.
Data Table:
Terminals
Steel nail and zinc-plated nail
Steel nail and copper wire
Zinc-plated nail and copper wire
Voltage (in Volts)
S-6-6-2_Potato Power and KEY
Questions:
1. What combination of materials produced the highest voltage?
2. Chemical reactions in the potato cell produce an electric current, a flow of charges through the
potato. How is the potato cell like a flashlight battery?
3. Cells are devices that convert _____________________ energy into __________________
energy.
4. Draw your experimental set-up in the space below. Label the cell, electrodes, electrolyte, and
voltmeter. Use arrows to show the flow of electrical current through the system.
Conclusion: How does the potato work as a cell? Write 1–2 sentences, using the terms
electrodes, electrolyte, voltage, and electrical current.
S-6-6-2_Potato Power and KEY
ANSWER KEY
Producing Potato Power
Data Table: Answers will vary; it is just important that students are able to produce and
read a voltage.
Terminals
Steel nail and zinc-plated nail
Voltage (in Volts)
Steel nail and copper wire
Zinc-plated nail and copper wire
Questions:
1. What combination of materials produced the highest voltage? Answers will vary depending
on distance between terminals, connection with the leads, and depth that the nails and wire
are inserted. In general, the zinc plated nail and copper wire should produce the highest
voltage.
2. Chemical reactions in the potato cell produce an electric current, a flow of charges through
the potato. How is the potato cell like a flashlight battery? Students should identify that both
contain electrolytes that conduct a current
3. Cells are devices that convert chemical energy into electrical energy.
4. Draw your experimental set-up in the space below. Label the cell, electrodes, and voltmeter.
Use arrows to show the flow of electrical current through the system.
S-6-6-2_Potato Power and KEY
Source: http://www.sullivan-county.com/ele/batteries1_files/05167.png
Conclusion: How does the potato work as a cell? Write 1–2 sentences, using the terms
electrodes, electrolyte, voltage, and electrical current.
The nails and wire are the electrodes. The potato juice is an electrolyte that conducts the
electrical current, and the voltage can be measured with a voltmeter.