Experiment: Make Your Own Battery

In our mobile electronic world, batteries are an essential technology, and attempts to improve battery efficiency is one of the cutting edges of modern science. However, how many of us know how batteries actually work? Well, this simple experiment not only allows you to make your own battery, but it also helps explain exactly how a battery (and indeed electricity in general) works. Perhaps the most surprising thing about this experiment is that you are likely to already have everything you need to make a fully functional battery already in your house!

What Will You Need? To do this experiment, you will need the following items (and make sure you have them all before starting to do the experiment with your child):

Three, or more, pennies (the more pennies you use, the more powerful the battery will be).
A sheet of rough sandpaper.
A bottle of distilled malt vinegar.
A sheet of aluminium foil.
A small sheet of corrugated cardboard (the type of box that items from Amazon get delivered in is perfect for this!).
A set of zinc washers (optional, but using zinc washers means that you do not need to sandpaper any of the pennies down, and it means the experiment will work with any pennies and not just newer ones).
Some wire (ideally electrical wire, but if you don’t have any, then the wire from an old set of head phones, gardening wire, or even twist ties with a metal core will do).
A small LED bulb (such as the kind often found in modern flash lights) and/or a small cheap calculator.
A pair of scissors (for cutting the cardboard and the wire);
Some electrical tape (for wrapping round the battery once you have made it).

Common household tems you can use to make a battery

Did you know you can make a battery with just these common household items? This experiment will show you how!

How Long Will It Take? Typically, it will take between five and ten minutes to complete the first part of this experiment (making a battery to light up an LED light bulb). However, preparation is everything, so make sure you have all the items you will need to hand before you start this experiment. If you are not particularly practically minded yourself, make sure that you have watched the instructional video in full before you try to do this with your child so that you understand exactly what you are going to do and how you are going to do it.

What Age Of Child Can Do This Experiment? This experiment is best suited to children of around seven and older. Children younger than this are unlikely to have enough of a grasp of electricity to appreciate what is happening. Children at the younger end of this age range will need to be supervised, but older children will be able to do it themselves (although you will still want to keep a careful eye on them while they do it!)

How Does It Work? When you do this experiment, your child will almost certainly want to know how it works. Basically, it involves electrons flowing between two different types of metal (in this case zinc and copper) through the vinegar (which acts as an electrolyte to allow the electrons to move through it). The electrons can only flow when the circuit is completed, so this causes them to move along the wires and through the bulb, causing it to light up. You can find more information about how batteries work here, and I would recommend reading up on it before doing the experiment so that you are better prepared to answer any questions!

What Core Life Skills Will It Help Develop? This experiment will help you child develop an understanding how the world around them works, and specifically of how electricity works. They will also develop important practical skills by learning how to make an item they see and use every day from its raw materials and how to build things from everyday household items. This will encourage them to see such items not as ‘black boxes’, but as functional items that they have an understanding of how they work.

Variations: There are many possible variations on the basic experiment. In particular, I prefer the option of using zinc washers rather than having to sand down the pennies which will be used in the battery as it is quicker and less messy. Adding more pennies to the stack will increase the power output, and you can try to power lots of different items, such as the calculator mentioned at the end of this video. One particularly good one to try is to get a small LED clock and use your battery to power it.

Links To Purchasing Items You Will Need For This Experiment

For Parents Based In The UK

Pennies: You can use any pennies, although newer ones will work better. If you find your battery doesn’t work with pennies alone, try using the variation with the zinc washers mentioned later in the video.
Sandpaper: For sanding down your pennies, you will need some coarse sandpaper, such as the type you can purchase here.
Vinegar: You can use any clear distilled malt vinegar which you can purchase from any supermarket, but if you cannot get it locally, you can purchase a bottle here.
Aluminium Foil: You can use any kitchen foil, but if you do not already have some, you can purchase a roll here.
A Sheet Of corrugated Cardboard: This can be any corrugated cardboard you have to hand. The type of box that items from Amazon get delivered in is perfect for this!
Zinc Washers: These washers are optional, and you can use any zinc coated washers you may have lying around. If you don’t have any, you can purchase a pack of them here.
Electrical Wire: If you don’t have any suitable wire already (and the wire from an old set of head phones will work perfectly for this), you can purchase some here.
A Small LED Light Bulb: While you can use any small light bulb for this experiment, a small LED bulb, like this one, will work best.
Pair Of Scissors: In the unlikely event that you don’t already have a pair of scissors, you can purchase a pair here.
Electrical Tape: The electrical tape is optional, but you can purchase some from here.

For Parents Based In The USA

Pennies: You can use any pennies, although newer ones will work better. If you find your battery doesn’t work with pennies alone, try using the variation with the zinc washers mentioned later in the video.
Sandpaper: For sanding down your pennies, you will need some coarse sandpaper, such as the type you can purchase here.
Vinegar: You can use any clear distilled malt vinegar which you can purchase from any supermarket, but if you cannot get it locally, you can purchase a bottle here.
Aluminium Foil: You can use any kitchen foil, but if you do not already have some, you can purchase a roll here.
A Sheet Of corrugated Cardboard: This can be any corrugated cardboard you have to hand. The type of box that items from Amazon get delivered in is perfect for this!
Zinc Washers: These washers are optional, and you can use any zinc coated washers you may have lying around. If you don’t have any, you can purchase a pack of them here.
Electrical Wire: If you don’t have any suitable wire already (and the wire from an old set of head phones will work perfectly for this), you can purchase some here.
A Small LED Light Bulb: While you can use any small light bulb for this experiment, a small LED bulb, like this one, will work best.
Pair Of Scissors: In the unlikely event that you don’t already have a pair of scissors, you can purchase a pair here.
Electrical Tape: The electrical tape is optional, but you can purchase some from here.

About The Author: This post was written by Colin Drysdale, the creator of How To Raise A Happy Genius.

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