Building Better Batteries

    This is my action project for my class Energy, in which we had to design a battery out of just household items. The question for this experiment was if either distilled water or vinegar made a better battery. My hypothesis for this experiment was that the vinegar would make a better battery than the distilled water, as the vinegar is more acidic. For the materials, I used vinegar, a penny, a nickel, a container, and a multimeter for my battery.


The materials

The steps for this experiment were as follows:

1. Pour vinegar into the container
2. Put the coins into the vinegar, making sure parts of the coins are exposed
3. Put the prongs of the multimeter on the exposed part of the coins and record the results
4. Rinse out the bowl and repeat this process with the distilled water

When I performed this process with both liquids, I got these results.

Left: Vinegar Right: Distilled Water


Since the vinegar, while still being a small amount, resulted in a higher voltage, my hypothesis was correct. To get an idea of how small 0.003 volts are, it would take 500 (1.5/.003) of the vinegar battery to equal one AA battery, and it would need about 33,334 (100/.003) amps to get  .100 volts. 

If I were to do this experiment again, I would try to see if the type of vinegar I used affects the results. I only used white vinegar, so I wonder if the voltage would change if I used apple cider vinegar or any other type of vinegar instead.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is Home?

     This is the first action project for the winter term of my class Who Am I? During this term, we've tackled many different topics covering race, ethnicity, and culture. For example, we watched the movie  Yellow Rose , in which, after her mother's deportation, Rose sets out to achieve her dream of becoming a country movie star. The way the movie showcased how culture and ethnicity impact the way we move about the world and what we're expected to be was very interesting. We also visited the Field Museum, where we learned about Native culture and how deep their lineage lies in Chicago, which was very nice to see. Native Americans rarely receive representation in media, so having a major museum giving them the spotlight was very nice.     For our action project, we had to record a 10 to 12-minute podcast asking a family member their thoughts on race, ethnicity, and culture. I chose to interview my mother, as I wanted to know her experiences growing up with my grandmother. M
Read more

A World of My Own

Image
     This is my action project for my class Who Am I, in which we had to design what our version of a utopia would look like. During this unit, we've been focusing on how gender, sexuality, and intersectionality. During this term, we watch Moonlight, a movie following a boy named Chiron, and how his different marginalized identities impacted how he lived his watch. It was sometimes an uncomfortable watch, but sometimes you have to be uncomfortable to learn. I think the film was a perfect summary of what we've learned, not just for this unit, but for the class as a whole.      For my action project, my version of a utopia was a place where everyone's voices could be heard, no matter who you are or where you came from. To show this, I created a podium and placed signs around it, with different identities and important causes placed on them. For me, representation is a very big thing for me. Being a part of marginalized groups and watching them be silenced is a very hard thing
Read more

Eyes

This is the final action project for the Spring term for my class “Who Am I?” In which I had to write a short story related to our identity. During this term, we’ve been learning about all aspects related to our identity. While I didn’t really learn anything new about myself, It’s been very interesting to think and learn about our identities, and how all the different aspects of identity intersect and impact the way we experience life. For my story, I had to incorporate aspects of the book we chose for this unit. My book, Black Fatigue, talks about the mental toll of being black. I used that concept, but instead of leaving it at that, I wanted to make it show how being black (or a minority in general) isn’t just misery 24/7 and that misery that we see every day can be changed into motivation for the future. While I don't think this class or this project made me learn anything new about myself, It made me think about it more deeply than I ever have before. I also haven’t written so
Read more