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W10 "Model battery" from different metals,  test electric conductivity of water samples This experiment requires adult supervisionc .

Electricity (current) is something that comes out of a battery or out of a socket  and makes light in a bulb. An electric circuit is needed to let electricity flow.
Never ever take electricity from a bulb for your experiments: THIS CAN BE DEADLY!
Materials
A piece of a Cola can made of steel (test by a magnet) and its closure, 2 insulated copper wire with 4 crodile clips, a meter for electricity, 9-Volt battery Light-emitting Diode(LED), blister for salt water, Cola and tap water, a small pencil which is sharpened on both sides.

yExperiment 1  (Left): Make a "battery" from the two different matals of a Cola can.

* Connect the closure of a Cola can with the negative terminal of your multimeter (COM).

* Clean a piece of Cola  by sandpaper and connect it with the positive terminal (red). Switch in the meter: 20 V DC.

* Press the two metals between your thumb and forefinger. The meter reads 0.24 Volt.

Later on you will repeat such experiments to learn about batteries.

Experiment 2  (Middle and right): Test water samples using the battery and the LED

* Connect the negative terminal of your 9-Volt battery with the short pin of the LED.

* The positive terminal of the battery is connected with one end of the pencil.

* Dip the other end of the pencil and the long pin of the LED into the blister with 1 ml of sea water.

Observations
* Middle: The LED shows light because salt water conducts electricity well.

* Right: In sea water gas bubbles can be seen at the pin and at the pencil. * A smell of chlorine at the pencil.

* Less light in Cola, nearly no light in tap water, no smell of chlorine.

Explanation: You have done a second chemical experiment:
Electric current transformed salt into chlorine. Such a chemical reaction is called electrolysis.


back....... go on...........first publication: 26.10.2001 ............................last modification: 18.12.2008