Tick Tock, Turn On The Clock

How many fruits, vegetables, and children does it take to generate enough electricity to run a clock?

Abstract

Our teacher lent us a science novelty called a two-potato clock.  We learned that fruits and vegetables such as potatoes can generate clocks.

Our question was what types of fruits can produce enough electricity to turn on a clock.  How many Children does it take to turn on the clock?

We predicted that apples, limes, potatoes, and oranges are the types of fruits that can produce enough electricity to turn on a clock.

We also tested children to see if they could produce electricity and turn on the clock but the results were that six children do not produce enough electricity to turn on a clock.

While we did the project, we encountered problems.  Two of these major problems were that the first potato clock we used was broken and the voltmeter was broken as well.  Although we had problems, luck arose and the science teacher of the sixth grade had an extra potato clock, and our science teacher’s husband lent us a voltmeter, which meant our project, was saved.

Problem

   Since we were little, we always saw clocks running electrically.  Electrically meaning running on batteries or plugged in to an electrical outlet.  When our teacher lent us a science novelty called a two-potato clock, we learned that clocks can run on electrically generated by fruits and vegetables such as potatoes.  We learned that moving charges produce electricity.  If positive and negative charges in a mixture can be pulled in two different directions, you can generate electricity.  This is how a chemical battery works.  Living things are made of many molecules.  Some of these have negative and positive charges.  By putting two different metals at each end of a living thing, you can cause the different charged molecules to move to the two directions.  Then we thought how about children?  We asked ourselves, could children’s bodies produce enough electricity to turn on a clock, like fruits and vegetables.  So therefore, our question is what types of fruits can produce enough electricity to turn on a clock.  How many Children does it take to turn on the clock?

Hypothesis

We think that the types of fruits that can produce enough electricity to turn on a clock are:

Apples

Limes

Oranges and

Potatoes

We think that it will take about six children to produce enough electricity to turn on the clock.

Materials and Method

In order to conduct the experiment, we needed:

A two-potato clock

2 potatoes

2 apples

2 limes

2 oranges

6 pieces of aluminum

6 pieces of copper

6 children

Wire

Voltmeter (to measure the electricity being produced)

1.      Set up the potato clock

2.    Place two fruits on of one kind in the two spaces provided in the clock

3.    Place one copper  and aluminum m wire into each fruit about 1 inch apart

4.    If the clock turns on, place the voltmeter on one copper and one aluminum wire (electrodes).  If it does not go on keep trying and if it does not work use another fruit to see if the clock turns on

5.    Connect the voltmeter to the copper and aluminum electrodes

6.    Observe and write down how much electricity is being produced by the fruits

7.    Repeat steps 2-5 with the rest of the fruits

8.    Place one aluminum and one copper in each of the children’s hands going around in a circle.

9.    After the circle is complete the first two which have the wires connected to the copper and aluminum, connect to the voltmeter

10.            Observe and write down how much electricity is being produced

11. Make a graph of the results

Results

         Our results showed that red potatoes and apples were the only ones that produced the same amount of electricity in each of our trials.  Unlike the apples and limes, oranges were the only ones that decreased electricity in each trial.  However, we were astounded that the apples produced more electricity than the potatoes.  Moreover, we felt that although this is called a potato- clock it should be called an apple clock based on our results.  We also tested children to see if they could produce electricity and turn on the clock but the results were that six children do not produce enough electricity to turn on a clock.

Discussion

   Our results proved us partly incorrect.  The children’s bodies did not produce enough electricity to turn on the clock, however the fruits we predicted did produce enough electricity to turn on a clock was correct. 

        We think that people, with so many more molecules than a potato or any other fruit or vegetable cannot turn on a clock because maybe the clock is programmed to work with certain amount of molecules, or a certain type of molecules which are not human molecules. Our teacher thought that there might be something blocking the movement of electricity through human bodies. This is called resistance. The fat and bones in humans may act as resisters to the generating of electricity by people.

       As we went along in our project, we encountered many difficulties.  Two of these major problems were that the first potato clock we used was broken and the voltmeter was broken as well.  However, luck arose and the science teacher of the sixth grade had an extra potato clock.  However, our luck did not stop there, our science teacher’s husband lent us a voltmeter, which meant our project, was saved.