You will need: 

A wide glass jar

White vinegar

Strip of zinc

Copper pipe

1.2v Torch bulb

2 Insulated wires with alligator clips

Procedure:

1. Fill the glass jar with vinegar. (Vinegar is dilute acetic acid and the acid works as the electrolyte for the battery.)
   
2. Clip one end of a wire to the torch bulb and the other end to the zinc.
   
3. Clip one end of the other wire to the torch bulb and the copper pipe.
   
4. As you place the electrodes, that is the zinc and copper, into the vinegar notice what happens to the torch bulb 

   

How does it work?

To produce an electric current in a battery like this requires that you have metals with different reduction potentials, or more simply in this case two different metals, and a solution that will conduct electricity. These types of solutions are called electrolytes. The current occurs when there is an exchange of electrons between the zinc and and copper. Zinc is quite a reactive metal and loses electrons more readily than copper. Copper on the other hand attracts electrons more readily. The electrolyte, vinegar, helps this process.

Further projects could include:

• Uses of batteries in everyday life
• Research on different types of batteries, for example: dry cell, wet cell, primary, secondary, lead-acid accumulator(car), rechargeable, specialist batteries such as cell phone batteries.
• Testing and comparing the life of batteries
• Experiments comparing series and parallel connections between batteries.