Build A Penny Lab
1. What were the metals involved in your battery?
Copper, zinc, aluminum.
2. If your LED requires 1.5 volts to light up, how many volts did each cell of our battery provide? (A cell is defined as a group of penny, zinc washer, and cardboard.)
Roughly 0.25 volts.
3. How is energy being converted to electricity in this battery?
A chemical reaction is happening with the penny and also with the washer. A zinc electrode is created that can couple with the copper electrode on the face of the next penny. The electrodes either use or make electrons. The electrons want to flow freely out to the positive end. The vinegar soaked cardboard is the electrolyte. The zinc electrode creates electrons because an oxidation reaction is happening. The copper electrode consumes the electrons through a reduction reaction.
4. What is a voltaic pile? How is it related to the battery you just built?
It’s a type of battery using a series of different metals which alternate with a soaked cloth in between them acting as an electrolyte. We built a battery that has those same qualities. We used the metals copper and zinc and had a soaked piece of cardboard in between.
5. What is an electrolyte?
Electrolyte is in between the positive and negative terminals, anode and cathode. It's like a separator, that acts like a barrier between cathode and anode, keeping electrodes from touching while also letting the electrical charge to flow between them. This electrical charge is the electrolyte.
6. How did you know which end of the battery was positive and which end was negative? (let’s refer to the end with the foil as the bottom.)
The shorter leg was on the foil, the bottom. When I looked it up the shorter leg is negative, so that would make the bottom negative. Therefore the longer leg would be positive.
7. Determine at least two other potential uses for your battery other that lighting an LED. What else could your battery power?
When I was researching, I was on a website saying that if you had enough supplies you could power your house for some time after a blackout. I think you could also power a battery run electric piano.
Copper, zinc, aluminum.
2. If your LED requires 1.5 volts to light up, how many volts did each cell of our battery provide? (A cell is defined as a group of penny, zinc washer, and cardboard.)
Roughly 0.25 volts.
3. How is energy being converted to electricity in this battery?
A chemical reaction is happening with the penny and also with the washer. A zinc electrode is created that can couple with the copper electrode on the face of the next penny. The electrodes either use or make electrons. The electrons want to flow freely out to the positive end. The vinegar soaked cardboard is the electrolyte. The zinc electrode creates electrons because an oxidation reaction is happening. The copper electrode consumes the electrons through a reduction reaction.
4. What is a voltaic pile? How is it related to the battery you just built?
It’s a type of battery using a series of different metals which alternate with a soaked cloth in between them acting as an electrolyte. We built a battery that has those same qualities. We used the metals copper and zinc and had a soaked piece of cardboard in between.
5. What is an electrolyte?
Electrolyte is in between the positive and negative terminals, anode and cathode. It's like a separator, that acts like a barrier between cathode and anode, keeping electrodes from touching while also letting the electrical charge to flow between them. This electrical charge is the electrolyte.
6. How did you know which end of the battery was positive and which end was negative? (let’s refer to the end with the foil as the bottom.)
The shorter leg was on the foil, the bottom. When I looked it up the shorter leg is negative, so that would make the bottom negative. Therefore the longer leg would be positive.
7. Determine at least two other potential uses for your battery other that lighting an LED. What else could your battery power?
When I was researching, I was on a website saying that if you had enough supplies you could power your house for some time after a blackout. I think you could also power a battery run electric piano.