A study determining the longevity of a lemon battery free essay sample

A. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM This study aims to find out how long a lemon (Citrus limon) can last as a lemon battery powering a digital clock. B. HYPOTHESIS The researcher assumes that one lemon would last for a day or two and that the usage of more lemons would entail a longer battery time. C. OBJECTIVES Specifically, it aims to: 1) come up with a quantity-longevity ratio with the use of a varied quantity of lemons in the production of a lemon battery 2) find the relationship of the number of lemons and the time it powers a digital clock 3) produce a graph showing the said relationship D. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This study is significant to the: 1. BATTERY CONSUMERS because the purchase of batteries is costly unlike the use of lemons because they’re cheaper and more accessible that the lemons may just be taken from the kitchen. 2. ENVIRONMENT because the regular battery contains mercury and lead which are harmful to the environment especially when they are disposed of. We will write a custom essay sample on A study determining the longevity of a lemon battery or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The lemon battery is not at all harmful after disposal. 3. FUTURE RESEARCHERS because this research will serve as a reference material for their research. If this research will be taken further, the elimination of the usage of harmful batteries could be advocated. 4. RESEARCHER because this research will provide more knowledge and insight about the latter. E. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS This study is limited to: 1. Produce a version of the lemon battery 2. Finding out the longevity of the lemon as a battery source for a small digital clock 3. Using 2, 3, 4 or 5 lemons in various set-ups and finding a quantity-longevity ratio 4. This study will be conducted in the classroom during the Physics laboratory period on the Third Quarter. F. DEFINITION OF TERMS 1. Lemon Battery – a proven alternative to the use of the regular battery made of lemon, copper and iron. 2. Populace – the people who live in a country or area 3. Environment – the complex of physical, chemical and biotic factors that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival 4. Longevity – the length or duration of an individual life CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE BATTERIES A battery produces electrical energy from chemical energy by arranging an indirect contact of the anode (negative endpoint) and the cathode (positive endpoint). Electrons in the battery travel from one terminal to another and as this happens, an electrical current is produced. The traveling of the electrons and the creation of an electrical current enables a device to be powered. There is a well in between the two chemicals which is called an electrolyte which ensures that the anode and the cathode do not interact. Furthermore, the electrons can only flow when the two sides of a battery are connected by a wire or another conductor. [1] LEMONS A lemon is an acidic fruit that is a many-seeded yellow, oblong berry produced by a small and thorny citrus tree. [2] Pharmacologically, a lemon is important because if its Vitamin C contents and for its potassium content. Studies show that the intake of citrus fruits contribute to the reduction of various diseases. [3] LEMON BATTERY Citric acid, which is always present in lemons, reacts with both zinc and copper. As it is inserted into the lemon, the zinc and copper are both dissolving in the citric acid. As this reaction takes place, free electrons begin circulating inside the lemon. The electrons create energy which  travels through the copper wires and creates an electrical current. [4] LEMON BATTERY-POWERED CLOCK Batteries power up gadgets through the production of electrolytes. In the case of a lemon battery, it can power up a simple digital clock through the production of acidic electrolytes. It is imperative to use different metals, more preferably zinc and copper. These two metals allow the easy flow of electricity enough to power up a clock. In a lemon battery-powered clock, the usual materials used are made of copper and zinc inserted in a lemon. This is most common with school science fairs. It is usually constructed with the use of galvanized nails and copper wires that connect to the clock.[5] When the galvanized nail comes into contact with the citric acid of the lemon, it starts two chemical reactions namely: oxidation and reduction. The first process, oxidation starts the whole process by removing the zinc atoms from the nail. Two electrons are removed from each zinc atom, giving the zinc atom a possible charge of two. The second reaction, reduction, zeroes in on the positively charged hydrogen ions in the citric acid near the nail. These ions accept electrons released by the oxidation process and start to form hydrogen gas. These two reactions keep going on and create a movement which can now be called an electric current. All scientists have agreed that electrons move away from the negative terminal of a battery or electric cell and through the circuit toward the positive terminal. Thus the zinc (source of electrons) is the negative terminal in a lemon electric cell, and the copper is the positive terminal which is each connected to the wire where the electric current flows through and thus, powering the clock. [6]