This science project was done by Amy, who is a student at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI).
Question:
Which food would produce more electricity? Potato or lemon?
The procedure for Amy’s project was inspired by Shocking Science by Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone, Scholastic Inc, 1999
Hypothesis:
The potato will conduct more electricity due to the starch in it being more conductive.
Materials
a large lemon
a small potato of the same size as the lemon
2 strips of copper 1/4″ X 4″ (0.5 cm X 10 cm)
2 strips of zinc 1/4″ X 4″ (0.5 cm X 10 cm)
a multimeter
Procedure
Chop 1 lemon and 1 potato of the same size in half
Stick 1 strip of copper and 1 strip of zinc in the juicy part of the lemon,
Connect wires by alligator clips to the copper and zinc strips
Connect the other end of the wires by alligator clips to the volt meter
Set the voltmeter to 2DV setting.
Measure voltage and record
Do this same method (Steps 2-5) with the potato with different copper and zinc strips.
Compare voltage and draw a conclusion.
Data
Potato = 1.010 V
Lemon = .950 V
Conclusion
My hypothesis was correct. The potato conducted more electricity than the lemon.
Variations
Amy had considered also testing a lime and a grapefruit.
NGSS Standards:
Plan and conduct an investigation individually and collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence, and in the design: decide on types, how much, and accuracy of data needed to produce reliable measurements and consider limitations on the precision of the data (e.g., number of trials, cost, risk, time), and refine the design accordingly. (HS-ESS2-5)