You will need:
- One bowl of vinegar
- Nineteen strips of paper, 3cm square in size
- Ten ‘silver’ coins…it’s not really silver, it’s mainly Zinc
- Ten copper coins
- A test subject!
- Vinegar
Moisten the strips of paper in the vinegar
Stack together a column of coins and vinegar soaked paper, alternating between each material in the following order; copper coin, paper and silver coin.
Moisten your fingertips in vinegar.
Hold the column, on its ends, between your vinegar soaked fingers.
Feel a buzz?
Get the Electricity & Magnetism Unit of Work here!
- How does electricity actually flow?
- What makes magnets become magnetic?
- Why is there electromagnetism and what does this tell us about electricity & magnetism?
- From series & parallel circuits to conductors & insulators, there’s a lot to explore & learn!
Includes cross-curricular teaching ideas, student quizzes, a sample marking rubric, scope & sequences & more.
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Why Does This Happen?
You just made a wet cell battery. A battery usually contains two types of metals separated by an acid. A chemical reaction between the two metals produces an electric current that continues until one of the metals is used up.
Idea: Use a multimeter to measure the current or voltage produced!
Applications
You can find wet cell batteries in cars. But don’t experiment with them, the electricity within a car battery can be very dangerous.
Variables to test
- Which combination of coins produces the biggest buzz?
- Try lemon juice as the acid instead of the vinegar. Does this make a difference?
- Try squares of filter paper, baby wipes, dishcloth or similar between the coins. Does this make a difference?
Create a Buzz!
Years 3 to 6
Maximum 30 students
Workshop or show (NSW & VIC)
60 or 90 minutes
Online Class Available
STEM Full Day Accelerator - Primary
Designed from real classroom experiences, this modular day helps you create consistently effective science learning that directly address the new curriculum with easily accessible and cost-effective materials.
great ideas and very interesting
We’re glad that you like these free experiment ideas!