It's Electric

Now that you've seen the program, try this fun experiment:

Citrus Power

Materials:
2 pieces of electrical wire (insulation stripped 1.25 cm from each end)
1 brass thumbtack
1 flashlight bulb
1 steel paperclip
1/2 lemon

What to do:

1. Wrap the end of one wire around the paperclip, and the other end around the metal tip of the light bulb. Tape it in place if you need to.
2. Wrap the end of the second wire around the thumbtack, and the other end around the screw-base of the bulb.
3. Push one end of the paperclip into the left side of the lemon. Push the thumbtack into the right side of the lemon. The bulb should light up, if all of the electrical connections are in place.
4. The acid in the lemon causes a chemical reaction with the metals. The one metal becomes negatively charged and the other positively charged. The electrons flow from one end to the other and light the bulb.

Vocabulary Words

Current electricity

comes from a battery or power station; a constant flow of energy

Static electricity

an electrical charge that builds up in one place

Turbine

a set of wheels, powered by steam that create electricity

Battery

a group of connected chemical cells that convert chemical energy into electrical energy to produce electric current

Circuit

a complete path around which an electric current can flow

Books:
Taylor, Barbara. More Power to You!
Polacco, Patricia. Thundercake
Bigham, Jane. The Usborne Book of Science Experiments
Ehrlich, Robert. What if? Mind Boggling Science Questions for Kids
VanCleave, Janice. Science Around the Year
The Usborne Book of Science, Usborne Publishing Ltd.

Internet Sites for Kids:
Bill Nye, the Science Guy
Kids World 2000: Science
The Science Club
Dragonfly Magazine

Internet Sites for Teachers:
Newton's Apple
Science and Math Initiatives
Encarta Lesson Collection

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