How to Make a Potato Clock

When you look at potato lying somewhere in the vegetable basket of your kitchen you may not think of anything else but the dishes you can make with it. You will be more than surprised to know that an ordinary potato can be used to run a small digital clock. It may prove to be a simple addition to your general knowledge if you happen to be a house wife but it will definitely cheer one for a quick idea for a middle school science project. For the information of such students, a potato can be used to make a low voltage battery which will be not be giving you a shock but can run an electronic device which does not need high voltage. Hence, if you want to make a potato battery for your science project make sure you have the following readily available.

Things Required:

– 2 potatoes or 1 cut into two halves
– 2 small lengths of copper wire
– 2 galvanized or zinc coated nails
– 3 alligator clip wire units for wire connection
– 1 low-voltage simple LED clock
– Marker

Instructions

  • 1

    First of all, assemble all the required materials properly in order to carry out this project smoothly.

  • 2

    Take two medium potatoes and name them as potato A and potato B.

  • 3

    Grab two galvanized or zinc coated nails and carefully insert them into the two potatoes.

  • 4

    Tuck two medium pieces of copper wires into the two potatoes and place these two potatoes at a suitable distance.

  • 5

    Open the lid of the clock's compartment and gently remove its battery.

  • 6

    Now, use an alligator wire or clip to attach Potato A's copper wire to the positive terminal (+) in the clock unit.

  • 7

    Leave Potato A and go to Potato B. take another alligator wire or clip and connect it to the nail inserted into Potato B. now, connect its other end to the negative terminal (-) in the clock unit.

  • 8

    Pick another large alligator wire or clip and use it to connect the nail in Potato A to the copper wire in Potato B.

  • 9

    Last but not the least; set the clock and enjoy it running on potato power.

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