Lemon Battery ( My Sci-Fair Project) Please Help?

Question

Hi, I need some help with lemon battery so let me clear it out

here are the materials need (problem or question comes with it)

1. Citrus ( or lemon ) but I need to experiments with 5 citrus

oranges, grapefruit, lemons, some limes, and some tangerines. Q.which one will works? (i'm Sure lemon does)

2. Nails. Q. It need to be covered with zinc? is it true? I have zinc nail, it saids wire brads ? what does that mean.

3. Penny. Q. Which penny will work, I know it's need to be copper but can't tell. does it have to be what year it made?

4. Jumper Cable/Clips. (WORK 100% FOR ME)

5. LEDs. (Works perfectly when I connected it with original battery.)

So far I have worked with Orange but it didn't seem to work.

I don't own a multimeter so... Bleh.

So I think I got the wrong type of nail even though it says zinc. or maybe there's a certain expectation for the penny OR it only works on certain citrus

please tell me what I've done wrong. maybe it doesn't work with orange maybe?

Answer 1

use a galvanized nail  which is zinc covered.

if you can find a penny before 1982, it might work better, they are solid copper. Pennies after 1982 have a zinc core covered with thin film of copper.  Either SHOULD  work.

Try different fruits.  Some will work better if they have more acid than others.

YOu also may need to put more than one nail and penny in "series" nail to penny to nail to penny to nail to penny to get the led to light