Homemade Battery

Coin Battery

The experiment that I chose to do was which coins could could get a higher amount of voltage between quarters, nickels, and pennies. I predicted that quarters would have a higher amount of voltage considering they were the biggest coin in the bunch. I chose to do this topic because it seemed like something interesting to find out.

Each battery I chose to make included nine coins, two squares of cardboard, a roll of aluminum foil, distilled vinegar, a piece of tissue paper, and a bowl. When I started my experiment, I first traced one of the coins nine times (about an inch apart) on the cardboard then cut them out. Next I filled about a quarter of the bowl with vinegar and let the nine pieces of cardboard soak separately. Next I rolled out some aluminum foil, folded it up, traced one of the coins and cut around the trace. Then, I placed one of the coins on the tissue paper, followed by a piece of the soaked cardboard, then a piece of aluminum foil. Then I placed another one of the same coins on top of the aluminum foil and stacked with the same pattern from there. I repeated this step with all three coins, then used a voltmeter to measure the amount of volts. After the experiment was over, the data was recorded and the cardboard and aluminum foil used in the experiment were thrown out and the coins were washed.

When doing this experiment, my data went from a neutral amount of voltage, then a smaller amount, then finally back to neutral out of the three experiments. On average, a penny got 1.99 volts, a nickel 4.29, and a quarter 2.19. Each coin was already dried before being used in each experiment.

By completing this project, I learned how to measure volts (specifically with a voltmeter), and the science behind how electricity can run through paper and coins. My hypothesis was incorrect, and it turns out that nickels actually produce more electricity (about 49% more) than quarters in this case scenario. Some things that could of effected this experiment could be whether or not the coins were dried, replaced with newer ones, the type of cardboard used, and the way that the coins were washed (with soap, bottled water,ect.). This experiment could have been improved if I had something to hold up the coins while stacking them, or if the cardboard was thinner and straighter (in order to keep more balance). All in all, I would say that this experiment was pretty accurate.