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Investigating electricity: Make a coin
battery
Student worksheet
Australian Curriculum relevance: Year 6
Science Understanding: Physical sciences
- Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)
- Energy from a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity (ACSSU219)
Science Inquiry Skills
- With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an
investigation might be (ACSIS232)
- With guidance, plan appropriate investigation methods to answer questions or solve problems (ACSIS103)
- Decide which variable should be changed and measured in fair tests and accurately observe, measure and record data, using digital
technologies as appropriate (ACSIS104)
- Use equipment and materials safely, identifying potential risks (ACSIS105)
- Construct and use a range of representations, including tables and graphs, to represent and describe observations, patterns or
relationships in data using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS107)
- Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations (ACSIS221)
Investigating electricity: Make a coin battery – Student worksheet
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Investigating electricity: Making a coin battery
Electrical energy is important in our everyday lives, powering the appliances
and machines we use every day. Usually the electricity you use comes from a
powerpoint in the wall or a store-bought battery.
Today you will make your very own battery from simple materials. Can you
generate enough energy to turn on a light bulb?
Aim: To make a battery from copper coins and zinc washers that can light up a
small 2-volt LED light
Prediction:
(Write a sentence to predict what will happen in the experiment)
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Equipment list:
- 3 copper coins
- 3 circle pieces of Wettex dishcloth
- 3 zinc-coated metal washers
- Digital multimeter and electrical leads
- Alligator clip wires
- A 2V LED light
- Small sheet of zinc-coated metal
- Dinner plate
- ½ cup of vinegar
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Method:
1. Put the sheet of zinc-coated metal on the dinner plate. Place a zinc washer
on the metal sheet.
2. Dip a circle of Wettex in the vinegar so that it is wet but not dripping. Put the
wet Wettex on top of the zinc washer. Then put a copper coin on top of the
wettex circle. This is a “single” coin battery.
3. Turn on the multimeter. Your teacher will show you how to put it on the
correct voltage measurement setting. Touch the end of one lead from the
multimeter to the copper coin. Touch the end of the other lead from the
multimeter to the zinc metal sheet.
4. Record the reading on the multimeter in the results table on pg 6.
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5. Make another zinc washer-Wettex-coin “sandwich” and put it on top of the
existing layers, ensuring the layers are in the same order. This is now a
“double” coin battery.
6. Repeat step 3 to measure the voltage from the double coin battery. Record
the reading from the multimeter in the results table on pg 6.
Draw a labelled diagram of how you measured the voltage created by
the “double” coin battery.
7. Make another zinc washer-Wettex-coin “sandwich” and put it on top of the
existing layers, ensuring the layers are in the same order. This is now a “triple”
coin battery.
8. Repeat step 3 to measure the voltage from the triple coin battery. Record
the reading from the multimeter in the results table on pg 6.
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9. Now test to see if the triple battery creates enough electricity to power an
LED light bulb.
a) Connect the ends of two alligator leads to the ends of a 2V LED
light.
b) Touch the other end of one of the leads to the copper coin. Touch
the end of the other lead to the zinc metal sheet.
Handy tip: If the light bulb doesn’t light up, try swapping the alligator leads on
the LED light.
Did the bulb light up? Record your result on pg 6.
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Results:
Battery set up
Voltage produced (Volts)
Single
Double
Triple
Did the bulb light up?
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Graph:
(Draw your own graph to display your results)
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Questions:
1. How did the voltage produced by the battery change as you made the
battery bigger and bigger?
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2. The light bulb lit up when you connected it up to the triple battery but not
the single and double battery. Why?
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3. You created an electrical circuit to join the battery to the light bulb. Draw
red arrows on the diagram below to show how the electricity flowed through
the circuit (we’ve started these arrows for you).
4. What happens to the light bulb if there is a gap in the flow of electricity (a
break in the circuit)?
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Conclusion:
(Look back at your original prediction. Was it correct? Explain why or why not)
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Improvements:
(How would you change this experiment if you were to do it again? What other
things could you test about the electricity from a coin battery?)
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Investigating electricity: Make a coin battery – Student worksheet