INSTITUTO JUSTO AROSEMENA

SCIENCE

SCIENCE PROJECT
FRUIT BATTERY LIGHT GENERATOR

TEACHER
ASHLEY LOU

STUDENTS
JOSUE E. HERRERO B.
CHRISTOPHER MARTINEZ

7 GRADE C

JULY 21ST, 2022

Creating fruit battery science projects is a great way for kids to learn about the way
electricity works. A popular concept, these experiments are inexpensive and explore the
way fruit acid combines with electrodes such as zinc and copper to produce an electrical
current. While the current generated by a single piece of fruit is quite weak, there are
variations of these science projects that produce more substantial amounts of power.

A simple, yet impressive, science fair project for a youngster in elementary school uses
lemons or other acidic citrus fruit to make a battery. Batteries generate electricity through
a chemical reaction between two different metals, such as zinc and copper. When placed
in an acid solution, electrons flow from one of the metals to the other, creating an electric
current. A wire and LED connected to the metals allows the current to flow through them,
lighting the LED. This project is simple to assemble and takes around 10 minutes. Then you
can create posters to explain how the lemon battery works.

To create more power, create another lemon cell in the same way you created the first
one. Now look closely at the prongs of the LED light. Connect the negative jumper cable to
the flat prong, and the positive jumper cable to the rounded prong. Make sure that they
are connected properly, otherwise it won't work. Attach the positive lead of one lemon to
the negative lead of the next. Now attach the LED light, and you should get a faint light. If
you add a third lemon to the battery, it will glow even brighter.

Problem
Find a solution to get light from natural fruit in our environment, to avoid more
consumption of fuel, petroleum or water.

Objetives
Generate light from fruits or vegetables
Save money using less fuels
Teach people without light at their home.

Hypothesis

If citrus fruits have a very strong acidity level, then they will light a light bulb because if
two different types of metal are lodged in the side of a citrus fruit, the fruit will act like a
battery and create an electric current.
Materials
Pennies
materials oranges, tomatoes, potatoes, apples,
light diodes,
Cable Length: 26cm/10.24"

Photos
Experimentation and Procedure
Variables:
Independent Variable: The type of citrus fruit.
Dependent Variable: How strong the glow of the light bulb is.
Controlled Variable: How big the light bulb is, how much electricity is used, and how
long the electrical cord is.

Materials:
Citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, grapefruits, or oranges.
Copper nail, approximately 5.08 centimeters in length.
Galvanized (zinc) nail, about 5.08 centimeters in length.
Small colored or opaque light bulb with a 5.08 centimeter lead, such as a holiday LED
light.
Electrical tape or crocodile clip.

Procedures:
1. Prepare your fruit for the experiment by squeezing it on all sides with your hands.  
Make sure not to squeeze too tightly and break the skin.  The idea is to soften the fruit
enough so that the juice inside is flowing.
2. Insert your nails into the fruit, approximately 5.08 centimeters apart from one
another.  The ends (sharp tips) of the nails should be in the center of the fruit, but not
touching one another.  Don't pierce the nails through the opposite end of the fruit.

3. Remove the insulation around the bulb wires (the leads) so you can expose the wire
underneath.  You need to remove enough insulation so you can wrap the exposed wire
around the nails.
4. Take one of the exposed wires and wrap it around the galvanized (zinc) nail.  If the
wire keeps slipping off, use some electrical tape or gator clips to keep it attached.
5. Wrap the other end of the wire around the copper nail.
6. When the second wire is attached to the copper nail, you will find out if your light
bulb will light.

Basic Fruit Battery

A basic fruit battery can be made using a fresh lemon. While other fruits can be used,
the high acidity of citrus fruits makes them the best for these experiments. Roll the
lemon gently on the table to activate the juices, being careful not to break the skin. Cut
two small slices, 1/2 inch apart, in the lemon and insert a clean copper penny into one
slot and a dime into the other so that the metals do not touch. For this step, you can
also use zinc and copper strips. The acid in the lemon reacts with the positive and
negative electric charges of the coins. Touch your tongue to the dime and penny at the
same time and you should feel a tingling sensation.
Fruit Powered Light

One lemon will work, but using more will produce more electricity. Six is a good number.
The battery also needs two different types of metal. Pennies and paper clips are well-
suited to this experiment, as the copper in the penny and the zinc or steel in the paper
clip will create a positive and negative flow of electrons once inserted into the lemons.

Connect a series of lemons together in the same manner described above to power a
flashlight bulb or other small light bulb. Experiment with the number of lemons, or other
fruits, you need to power light bulbs of different sizes. You can also connect lemons
together using copper pennies, galvanized, or zinc-covered, nails and alligator clips to
power an LED light. An LED, or a Light Emitting Diode, is useful for this kind of science
project because it is designed to work at low currents and voltages.

Result

The goal of making a lemon battery is turning chemical energy into electrical energy,
creating enough electricity to power a small LED light.
Fruit electricity research of a sort can be done in the home or in the lab at school. The
chemical substances in fruits, particularly acidic citrus fruits, can be converted into
energy and used to power small items.

Conclusions

In conclusion the citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons and grapefruits, can be used to
generate electrical currents. The acid in these fruits combines with electrodes, such as
copper and zinc, to generate electricity. Acting as a battery, these fruits can power small
devices such as LED lights. The structure of a fruit-powered battery mimics that of a real
battery. Two different metals – usually one zinc and one copper – are inserted into the
fruit and act as the positive and negative poles.
Lemons may not be the answer to the world's energy woes, but when used correctly,
they can aptly demonstrate working electricity in a safe and interesting manner.

Recommendations

While fruit batteries have been proven effective, experiment with the positioning of the
wires and other aspects of your project if creating fruit powered light does not seem to
be working on your first try. Consider using a device such as a micro ammeter or volt
meter, which can be found at electronics stores, to measure the voltage of your fruit
batteries. Take readings of the voltage for single-lemon batteries and compare that data
to the voltage generated by batteries using multiple pieces of fruit. Also consider
creating fruit batteries from several different fruits, such as lemons, apples and
potatoes, and comparing the effectiveness and voltage generated by each one.