Create a Lemon Battery

[demoniack81]

Everyone here seems to believe that the energy comes out of the lemons.

It does not.

It comes from the reaction between Zinc on the nail and Copper on the penny.

The lemon just act as electrolyte

[tybobjojojo]

well you know what they say, when life gives you lemons, make a battery

[sayan8455]

thanx it really works and it help me a lot in my schools projects................

[Gapcoproductions1]

Very cool I can't wait to try it :-)

[bennylaser]

The point is that a lemon provides the circuit even with a huge internal ohmic resistance, thus the reported voltage value is correct only because the measrumement device doesn't need a sensible current to measure it and it does not allow the current to flow along the series.

But the very time you inset a load on the series, allowing the current to flow along, the internal resistance lowers the available voltage for the load (i.e. the LED); thus actually the effective output voltage is smaller.

[blueetc420]

nice demo ... i wander what current flows though a citric acid battery as the one build by you :-? ... if you do the measurment i would like to get a link :D

[mochalisa24]

thank you very much. this video helped me a lot in our investigatory project.

[glivarbrostv]

im using this as my science project, but im giving you credit

[raywesful]

Thanks. I'm doing that in class and i had no idea what is was. This explained itself so well! Thanks again!

[happygiraffe7373]

Thank you for this video! I have an urgent question: where did you buy the LED light?! I took an LED light out of a keychain light, and tried to connect it to my circuit, but it won't light up. Please respond! anyone else can respond too if you know! THANKS

[weird519]

could you start a car?

[moincad]

nice info. thanks a lot.

[joe0793]

my next science project



[tomcwe]

what if i connect multiple electrodes to a single lemon instead of cutting the lemon?

[Robeel110]

v v nice Mr. Scienceonline, Thanks for sharing

[americanforthewin]

Why if there was enough voltage, more than an AA battery, did you have to add more lemons? Why was the current low or weak? What makes 1 battery beat 4 lemons? Thank you for your response.

[HanitpalSingh]

lol this is so funny but so cool

LEMON POWERRR

[brilliantstudent]

Hello

Will a LED work with a vinegar battery???

[TheNeatron]

um, isn't an battery two or more cells? so one lemon is equal two one cell so it cant be a battery you would require two lemons i think. am i right?

[joezy0]

i think i have to subscribe because this is so interesting!

[Jon7513]

kool

[ScHnitzLLlicious92]

so wait... if lemons make electricity.. and there are cars that run with electricity, we could run those cars with that electricity instead of using and producing cars that run with gasoline.. that would be a great way of reducing CO2 in our air because we would also have to plant billions of lemon trees which would of course make photosynthesis.. that would be awesome let's do it!!!

[karimpsone]

@ScHnitzLLlicious92 even a very tiny extremely low voltage LED needed 4 lemons to barely glow a little bit, in your case we will need a truck of lemons following us to supply enough lemon to run the power-eager car engine at 10kmph ~6mph

just to be clear, one drip of gasoline has more power than a box of fresh lemons

[soju69jinro]

hmm, will the positioning of the penny and nail matter? meaning the nail on one side, and the penny exactly 180 degrees away...?

the calculator requires less lemons, doesnt the calculator contain current inductors, to increase the current flow?

[sciencoking]

The position of the metals don´t matter.

The calculator´s LCD and CMOS technologies use very little current. No special parts are necessary to power a calculator with lemons :-)

[Grundalizer]

Ok, so Zn is being oxidized to Zn 2+, 2 electrons travel through the lemon using citric acid as the electrolyte, but what is happening at the copper terminal? there is no free Cu 2+ to be reduced to copper metal, so what is being reduced?

[DARIO8417]

Alternative energy is urgent use it!

[Darusdei]

you can do the same thing with potatoes.

[bestyoutoubfan]

im going to use this for a science project

[mexicanplayer18]

how about oranges?

[tubathebest]

If it is a normal 1.4V bulb, instead of an L.E.D, will it still light up?

PLS HELP!!

[Grundalizer]

If a lemon produces 1 V, and your bulb needs 1.4V how many lemons will you need to light it up?

[WeedPatch71]

Normal lights (tungsten) require far more current then LEDs. So a normal light would require far more lemon's to light up.

[MrMyhakim]

thanks man ! i get a A star for my Science Project ! ty So much ill rate 5/5!! ty!!!

You Rock!!

[choco33333333]

so you can cut up a lemon so it represents 4 lemons?

awesomr light saving teqnik

[02DianaCArizaJH148]

Thanks so much! actually, i'm doing a investigation like that, a little bit different, but this video hepls me so much!! so thank you! :)

[da1starman]

would it iron and copper work? hehe im doing this as a last minute project hehe

[letseeitplease]

that was excellent. . thanks for showing this experiment

[ihateyourbread]

does it work with just the juice

[choco33333333]

yes.

it works well

[Robloxianguard]

cu and a Zn

[Robloxianguard]

Can you use a cu and a zink

plate instead?

[MissJamia]

this is a great project can i use it ???? l0l

[GhostTown777]

how does that work? good though :)

[u4prayer]

Super! Thanks for sharing.

[itouchdude11]

very nice video, thanks :)

[BrunettexMusic]

this is Awsome!!

[TheOPY]

you can do the same thing with vinegar, thin paper towels, nickels and pennies. I did it for a 7th grade science project

[oneworldfamily]

I wonder if there is a voltage difference between organic lemons and those sprayed with pesticides etc. Also, how about a big grapefruit?

[redsoxman4life]

hey, if you were to leave the led light on, would the voltage go down? It wouldn't stay the same, right?

[kirtap8895]

can we use a potato and a lemon to light the LED? pls answer its for a science project thnx

[TheMoni286]

i think u can use 2 or 3 lemons to light a LED

[scilonthreat]

flat=cathode. the other is the anode

[I1am1one]

hey, any1 can explain the effect?, i forgot =\

[nyckelbenet]

Hahaha, this is awesome. I tested it with an orange, worked too :)

[warmoviesboy]

about 1-1.5 volt i just forgot copper and zinc in the book 2 strips but thx just forgot i give 4 star

[shortkid1992]

how long could a lemon power a cell phone, in a terrible situation?

[jejeroyetompson]

according to the fact that four lemon barely light a LED....... i would say...... about 150 lemon to power your cell phone

[marbleman27]

tht is so kool i gotta try it

[xxXoleenxx]

super video

[mjunaid11]

very nice

[Tharagus]

that is so cool

[nicolee2794]

where do you get the wires for this?

[jodex96]

Can you charge those? =D

[maryjaneouna]

micro center or radio shack

[ftkiller105]

where can i get a LED

[zcuttlefish]

radio shack

[Loise004]

from a broken appliances

[rfjgfude]

Hmm, not enough to power an electric car.

[EuphonicFilms]

Yup, that's why he warns you to make sure there is no spilled lemon juice, if the juice connected two of the batteries together, it would short circuit. Not violently, I wouldn't say, but short circuited nonetheless.

[BADNIGGAH]

I made this on school.

It was really awesome!!!!

But a ugly guy named Aresh ruined everything -_-

We had to start all over again by that dumb fuck!!

[MaRKsManShaNKs]

home depot?

[thegoose95]

im doin a science expiriment on this and i would like to know where did you get a voltmeter?

[mrRicecrispy]

Yeah i got a voltmeter at home depot ^_^

[MaRKsManShaNKs]

i tried it and my LED has been lit for over a week! and its still going

[SniperScopeSE7EN]

LEDs are very engery effienct

i have a LED battery & i have been using the same batterys on it for 1 year

[randomguyandnumbers]

This is so cool but i don't think that it would last too long

[aznlife72]

wonder how long those batteries last..anyone knows?

[LaughingOutLoudly123]

i did a science project on this and this vid helped me so much thanks!!!!!!!!!:)

[Damnyounoob]

How long does it last if you leave it connected to LED ?

[wefiyhigh56]

thats so cool!

[dsouth01]

FANTASTIC!!!

[Atropos911]

why does the nail need to be galvanized? iron conducts electricity just as well, no?

and what else is, if we use silver instead of the galvanized iron, would that increase the voltage of the battery?

[PeterIsza]

because of the standard electrode potentials. look it up at wikipedia.

[gikong]

Because this is a Zn - Cu cell. Fe - Cu cell has different voltage. Please look at the standard reduction potential tables.

[jagalskaripod]

the thing is, the lower back you are on the Reactivity series the better juice, if you have a piece of litium and a piece of gold it should increase the voltage. It should generate up to 4,5 volts. Use Potassium hydroxide instead of the lemon. Im 15(im 24 on youtube for the good stuff ) and from sweden so dont mind the spelling errors.

[miguelcarlosvmendoza]

thanks science online youve just finished my investigatory project and by the way those electrolytes make the electricity

[ocnard]

thats so cool!

[SciFikid123]

one more thing what fruit has the highest acidty

[SciFikid123]

what if u put a lemon in vineger and then connected the wires?

and if the lemon didn't rot would it keep producing electricty?

[joannpestano]

thanks for posting this. it helps a lot. im doing a research about battery using calamansi juice and i found this. its great

[sollidsnake1]

im doing for my science fair and this really helped thanks!

[invunable]

Another question: What would happen if you put two pennies and one nail in a lemon and plugged all three in?

Invun

[invunable]

Today I was just told I had to do a Science Project on Static or Current Electricity. And I decided to make a Lemon Battery after my mom suggested it. But hell, I did not know how. So I googled it and found this video. Thanks for this! Now I just have to go find some lemons... a few nails... a light...

Invun

[canonlaunch]

how many lemons do I need to power up my computer?

[RyanVelvet]

hmm, this would be awesome to use at school, if the chance passes by. thanks

[secretlifeofcrackers]

I'm doing this for my science experiment...it seems very intersting.

[invunable]

I aswell have a Science Project to do. But I did not know what to do, and this video put that right in my head. It's a nice description, and it gave me my idea.

But how many lemons would you need to fully power a light?

Invun

[cutydon]

wow this is so cool i am going to do this for a fair

[ivanUshline]

COOL

[Hyperclink]

I Saw this in school.

this is very interesting(:

yeahh thanks for the science upload.

[markii63]

if you make a short circuit by connecting the plus and minus, will the lemon heat up?

[Bistro223]

when life hands you lemons...make a battery! cool vid thanks!

[chente102]

haha when life hands you lemons make a battery good stuff

[Icefishermans]

great informative video. thank you.

[Rudeascute]

Thankyou ... This really helped me with my science home work..

[solange808]

thanx i neeeded this bad for my physix assignmentl we have to make an electrochemical cell lol ty!

[solange808]

OMG thank you sooo much i can finally do my assignemt and i wont fail yay :)

[nuci4life]

how do i get zinc?

[cheetah219]

any galvanized nail will do or just go down to home depot and ask a guy to give you zinc metal. lol its not that hard to obtain.

[Denmon0728]

This helped me alot for my chemistry project! Thanks!

[melissaortiz1134]

This is so cool it really works !!! my son did this for his 4th grade science fair project, it's awesome..

[kingtomy93]

i am doing a science fair project in high school and i want to do this.can u plz tell me where i can buy and led light like that?and do u need a special kind of screw or will any work?i already have a volt meter.thnx for the help.

[PrivateJetsin]

Do you need a nail for this to work?

I saw a video where it worked with a screw

[nwsaboy]

as long as it is metal and zinc covered from what i understand

[nhn1994]

I think what you saw is a orange battery I've seen earlier. Basicly make sure your negative charge (nails) doesn't have to be nail, is covered with zinc or made of zinc... most nail they saids zinc on the cover, But even if you use a spoon and put it in instead of nail, it stills work. But you need a multimeter... you might connect up to 1 billion lemons and can't lights up an LED because there's not enough current, VOLTS doesn't mean battery, it also needs current

[RaspberryPunch]

How much does a LED cost?

[alexdiment]

About $0.3-$1 i guess. depends on color and efficiency

[nhn1994]

hey I got a problem. I uses orange instead of lemon... I didn't uses multimeter so I'm not sure if it works... does the penny require when it made? or all of them is copper? and I got my nail(it's zinc). I used 8 1/4 a lemon connect them but didn't work... can you help me? I'm ganna try it on lemon later

[yankees5093]

Dude, thanks for helping me with building this awesome battery! THANKS A LOT!!!!!! I needed to find out the procedure of making the battery for my science fair project!

[alexshepherd]

Excellent video. I see you connected four lemons in series to get 3.5V. The current, though, will be the same as for one lemon. Why not try two parallel groups of two series lemons? Then, voltage would be 1.8V, but current would be doubled and I predict the LED would be brighter. LEDs are more current-dependent than voltage-dependent? Anyway I'd love to give this a go and make a video response. :) Thanks, -Alex

[ScienceOnline]

Your comments are correct, 2 parallel groups would be superior. LED's don't behave like a normal resistive bulb, they require a minimum forward voltage before they will conduct.

Typically in the range of 1.65V to 2.2V, any voltage less then this and they will not conduct (0 Amps) - increasing voltage creates current.

The lemon batteries create another problem, they have a very high internal resistance which limits current.

[nhn1994]

does it work if I just use 1 lemon and split into 4, then see if it works?

[ScienceOnline]

Yes

[molecular101]

very interesting

[CoolSEP]

you Can Get a LED Light Bulb From Any DIY Store

[nhn1994]

how do you make that um... alligator clip? what string use to connect the clips? oh and you know where to buy LEDs? I don't think they sell these mini one at a official store

[boydism08]

Really inspiring. Major influence

Thanks so much.

[SonicFanatic123]

Thanks, this helped me with my science prodject. How many lemons to light a small lightbulb?

[andrewunz1]

where do i get an LED lightbulb?

[Rhenstarheart13]

You can find them easily at Radio Shack. Just ask.

[cwpaul11]

Visit your local Radio Shack or order them online.

[Illus1onist]

Thank you!!!

[Rdk3000]

THATS VERY INTERESTING

[footbalmaniac]

nice vid

[Battlefield2Pilot]

Congratulations on your 8 Honors for this video, Hila! Your videos have taught me so much!

[Blade0FSummons]

try limes, grapefruits, orange, pineapples, and other fruits. They're all acids.

[m3sca1]

so how many to charge an ipod?

[nahviiiii]

maybe 10?

[JordanWii]

Thanks for this video, me and my friend needed a little assistance w/ our Science Fair Project.

And this should definently come in handy.

[MrfixitRick]

I wonder how many calories of energy can be extracted this way, and would "using up" the lemon's energy affect the caloric value of the food itself when ingested?

[TrueLoveTattoo]

me kremmydia kaneis tipota? ama valoume ladi poso tha kratisei? an mporeis ftiakse m mia 3.7 volt gia nokia 3250 an mporeis vale skordo gia na einai mikri,kali epitixia :)

[ruroyuyu]

You helped me so much now im ready for science fair

[666olivierhell]

Thanks for the explanation this is my Science Fair project for school! :)

[trantang1]

awesome video =]

[trantang1]

can you use copper wire, as used in a vinegar battery, to substitute the alligator clips? will it have the same results?? i sure hope so

[speedstakerguy]

do limes work?

[ScienceOnline]

I haven't tried them but I am sure they will.

[SpamMyVideo]

Wow. Very cool. I found an LED light in my bookbag, it was inside this little finger ring that lights up. Somehow it broke. But I love your voice its calming and relaxing

[werdnativ]

Very interesting, thanks! I hadn't thought of the minimum voltage for LEDs. I didn't have a LED on hand so I was just going by the readings on the multimeter...

[werdnativ]

Good video, but I would like to point out one thing: by connecting the lemons in series, you are NOT increasing current: you are increasing voltage. You can check with an ammeter and see that 4 lemons in a row gives the same amperage as one. (I got about 0.3mA). If you connect them in parallel, you would keep the voltage at 1V but quadruple the current (same V, more A). Your LED will light up better that way.

[ScienceOnline]

Thanks for your comment. We have a somewhat special circumstance here. LED's don't behave like a normal bulb, they require a minimum forward voltage before they will conduct.

Typically in the range of 1.65V to 2.2V, any voltage less then this and they will not conduct (0 Amps) - increasing voltage creates current.

The lemon batteries create another problem, they have a very high internal resistance and, as you measured, the current available is in the low mA range.

[ScienceOnline]

Four lemons in series barely lights an LED. Fully lighting an LED would probably require 6 banks of 4 lemons (in series), connected in parallel.

I'll try to find the time to work this explanation into the video.

[Alishaikh94]

Very informative....Your a professional!!

[xazuross]

Well, I can't wait for the science fair! This video is the best Science online video!

[MolteniMichele]

cool very cool!!!!!!!!!!!

[Scabbyblader]

you have a warm, calming voice

great video!

[janemidnight]

This was a great video.

[MarioMan1022]

wow, in school I'm bored, this is so intresting

[BeeABaw]

ya but i bet if you were in school and saw this video you would be bored. i think kids get bored in school because the don't want to be there. if the did the same school work but you were at home and a teacher came to your house you would be fine though school.

[SimplGuy1]

Next time if I run out of battery on my calculator in an exam. I'm going to take two Lemons with me. lol

[Leionine23]

This video is very educational..... many kids will surely learn^_^

[PBM4EMAPAHCNMDHSRNW]

That guy has got a nice, soothing voice.

[davidd2324]

wow you would like be the best teacher ever. I think you've found your profession.

[st8ballin87]

yea yoo i neva knew this..just wished i couldve learned this in skool.

[kippis05]

Thanks for such an amazing video. You make it so easy to understand and you go slow to make sure people can keep up. Very informative and great vid!!

[Hoopin930]

because of this video this is my science fair project this year, thanks scienceonline

[cjracer1000]

this video is helping me with my science project right now

[hananhlamb1995]

thumbs up to this video it is very educational and cool i already knew this however this is a more mature way of understanding i was taught this today and it is just a conincidence that i seen this video very very well done however i was just wondering how did you figure this out it seems a bit random we were learning what makes a good battery whats your reason?

[abdual3000]

that was the best vido ever u make the best moves

[MyYassine1]

thanks so smart teacher

[xazuross]

This video is better than any scienece video I'll ever make. Thanks Hilaroad!

[hellzone100]

great teacher.

[Xestriker]

I agree, this is way better then school, he goes so slow and explains everything, its perfect

[paolodeco]

very interesting and welldone

[Angel8Lolita]

Thanks for posting! I love this video; it's very educational and kept me interested.

Anyway, I was wondering what would happen if the lemons aged? Would the citric acid dwindle and cause the experiment to fail?

[JoshuaMallalieu]

this is so great. i just love science. this explains so much. thank you.