Science

Process:

Problem:

Will a clock run with other edible items other than a potato?

Hypothesis:

I think that the edible items with the larger size will have a better chance at powering the clock then the edible items that have a smaller size. The reason being, larger items or higher measures of volume contribute to more available potential energy by giving more space for the conversion of chemical energy into electrical energy which is then sent through the metal strip and into the clock. Without the size of the potato being as large as it is the cells would not have enough space to convert into the amount of energy needed to power the clock.

Experimental Design

·       2 Copper Nails

·       2 Iron Nails

·       Clock

·       Edible Items

o  Potato

o  Banana

o  Strawberry

o  Apples

o  Carrots

o  Pickles

o  Pepper

o  Lemonade

o  Gatorade

o  Milk

o  Water

Conclusion:

Although all my items powered the clock, the clock is a low voltage clock so not much voltage was needed to power it. However, many items could link other items together to create as much voltage necessary to power other items such as a light bulb.

As my experiment came to an end I found that my hypothesis was supported by the results. I found that all of the edible items that I tested were able to power the clock but not all of my items were had the same voltages. I found that the edible items that had a higher acid content had more of a current then these with less acid. For example, an apple had a 1.945 voltage were as a banana only had a 1.504 voltage. The apple is obviously the more acidic fruit.

Now included in the edible items that were tested were drinks. I found the same for drinks; the lemonade that was tested had a 1.652 voltage were as the milk that was tested 1.323 voltage. In the graph that you see below it will show you an average weight and voltage for each category. You will see that the voltages increasingly get bigger with each category. You might also notice that weight and voltage have no real correlation.

 In this experiment I found that a clock may be powered by many things. The items with the larger acidic content created a higher chemical reaction with the copper and zinc strips. This then creates a higher voltage because the acid eats away at the strip surface exposing more molecules for the occurred reaction to be greater. I would like to continue my experiment by altering some factors and compare my results.