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Battery Building

Posted November 21st, 2013 by Laura Gordon

electron flow diagram 001

In this activity, students will learn how to build a voltaic pile battery, which is the oldest form of electric battery. The voltaic pile battery was invented in the 1800s by Alessandro Volta using a giant stack of alternating layers of zinc, blotting paper soaked in salt water, and silver. This battery concept is the basis of the battery that students will construct — a simple battery that uses pennies, cardboard soaked in vinegar, and zinc washers for each cell. Students will then attempt to power a small LED light and a calculator with their batteries and explore the concepts of electrical current.

Battery Building Activity

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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 21st, 2013 at 2:04 PM and is filed under Engineering, Middle School. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Battery Building”

  1. Follow up: Batteries » The SMILE Program @ OSU Says:
    March 14th, 2014 at 3:28 PM

    […] on the blog we showed you how to build a biodegradable battery from washers, pennies, and vinegar. A SMILE Club from Forest Grove High School shared with us the […]

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