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Science Projects > Physics & Engineering Projects > How To Make a Light Bulb

How To Make a Light Bulb

Adult supervision recommended.

What You Need:

Pint glass canning jar with lid
3 feet insulated copper wire
6-volt battery
Thin iron wire (unraveled picture hanging wire works great)

What You Do:

1. Cut the copper wire in half and strip at least one inch of insulation off the ends of each length of wire. Next, punch two holes in the jar lid. (You can use a nail for this.) Thread one end of the wire through each hole in the lid.

2. Make a hook at the end of each wire (the end that will be inside the jar when you put the lid on). Twist two or three strands of the iron wire together, then twist the ends around the hooks in the copper wire. The iron wire will act as your filament.

3. Place the lid (with the filament and wires attached) in the jar and carefully connect the free ends of the copper wire to the terminals on the 6-volt battery. Once both ends are connected to the battery, the current should start flowing, causing the filament to heat up and give off a bright orange glow.

Your homemade light bulb is working! The light will last for anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on your filament. (Note: once your filament is burned out, don’t touch it right away – it will be very hot.)

You might also be interested in our Make a Pinhole Camera and Make a Vacuum Cleaner projects.

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Hands On As We Grow®

Hands on kids activities for hands on moms. Focusing on kids activities perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

3 Super Simple Light Experiments for Kids to Do

Literacy & ABCs Science Toddlers Grade School Kindergartners Preschoolers Experiment Paper Plates 19 Comments

Science experiments are always a big hit in my house and this light experiment for kids will brighten everyone’s day – literally!

Learn about the properties of light with a quick, simple set of light experiments for kids to do at home. You already have all the supplies!

3 Super Simple Light Experiments for Kids

What three things can light do? This is the guiding question for this simple and fun light experiment for kids.

To Set up Your Own Simple Light Science Experiment, You’ll Need:

Magnifying glass
Paper plate or anything opaque
Piece of paper

Try our favorite 50 simple science experiments .

We love a good science activity that uses supplies we already have at home like this one!

Talking About Science Basics with Kids

Science activities are always a great time to practice using fun science terms. This simple light science experiment introduces three new ones:

penetrate: or when light will pass through an object to be visible on the other side
reflect: or when the light bounces back at you, like with a mirror or something shiny
stop: or when the light is blocked, not reflecting or penetrating
variable: what changes in different steps on the experiment

It can help if you write down these words and their meanings on a piece of paper or flashcards.

You could use actual words or draw a picture.

For older kids, you could also dive a little bit deeper. I love this quick explanation about the properties of light from Ducksters .

Before Your Light Experiments for Kids

This simple science experiment includes an opportunity for making predictions and recording observations.

Predicting is just making a guess based on what you already know.

You could get started by asking your kids: “What do you know about light?”

Create a quick and simple legend for the light experiment.

Write down your children’s predictions and make a quick chart. One column is for the prediction and the other is for the observation, plus some rows for the variables.

Label the rows with the names of your three objects, or variables (what’s changing each time). Hint: mirror, magnifying glass, plate, etc.

At the top of one column write: “What will the light do?” . (Prediction)

And then above the other column, write: “What does the light do?” . (Observations)

Record your predictions and observations for your simple light experiments for kids!

As you experiment, you’ll also jot down what happens with the light, or what you observe. Observe and observation in science is just a fancy way to explain telling what you saw happening during the experiment.

Ask these helpful questions as you predict what happens:

Will the light penetrate the paper plate or will it stop?
Will the light reflect off of the magnifying glass or penetrate?
And will the mirror stop the light?

Take time to look at each object, discuss the three terms associated with light (penetrate, reflect, stop).

Make predictions, or guesses, about what the light will do with each object.

Write your predictions in the first column of the chart.

Predict what you think light will do in this easy science experiment activity for kids!

Now Experiment with Light Together

Once your predictions are made and the properties of light have been discussed, it’s time to do the experiment.

Choose the first object and have your kids shine the flashlight at the object.

Watch how the light reacts with the object. Does it shine through, shine back at you, or stop completely?

Record on your observation chart what the light did with that object. Check to see if your predictions were correct.

Keep going with the rest of the objects, making sure to observe and record your findings.

Our Easy Light Experiments for Kids

We chose the mirror first. My son held the mirror and my daughter used the flashlight.

Check to see what objects reflect with easy light experiments for kids

I encouraged them to explain what they noticed about the light. Both recognized that the light was shining back at us, or reflecting.

We talked for a minute about using “refect” to describe what the light was doing.

Keep shining with a simple indoor reflection activity !

My daughter wrote “reflect” in our observation column on our chart. I helped her with the spelling, but only a little.

The Paper Plate

Our second variable for the light experiment was the paper plate. This time my kids switched roles with my daughter holding the plate and my son shining the flashlight at the object.

Check to see how light acts with a plate in this easy experiment for kids.

My kids quickly noticed that the light didn’t go anywhere except for on the plate.

We discussed together how this showed that the light stopped because the plate blocks or stops the light. I also added in the word “opaque,” which means that light does not pass through.

My son recorded “stop” for the plate.

You can also introduce the word “absorb” to your kids at this point in the experiment, as that is another term for stopping the light.

Originally, the kids had thought that the plate might reflect the light. Our prediction was incorrect and we talked about that for a minute or so.

Chart your light experiments for kids results

Learn more about opaque objects with a fun shadow play activity !

The Magnifying Glass

Our final object was the magnifying glass. It was my turn to shine the light as both my kids held the object.

This time the light went through the magnifying glass, shining onto the floor below. I shared the term “transparent,” meaning that light passes completely through, as we talked about this part of the experiment.

See how light acts with a fun science experiment for kids

I recorded our findings on the chart. We reviewed each object and outcome together while comparing our observations to our predictions.

Chart the activity and results of your science activity with kids

Keep Playing with Light!

Even though we had finished the “formal” experiment, my kids kept the learning going! They ran through the house, shining the flashlight on all sorts of objects and saying whether the light reflected, stopped, or penetrated.

I love how much ownership they took of their learning!

We love playing with a fun flashlight scavenger hunt for kids !

This fun extension activity went on for quite a while. And it’s something that I know I can keep returning to again and again, adding more challenging terminology as they grow.

What are some other fun science experiments for kids you have done? We’d love to check-out your creative learning ideas!

About alisha warth.

I have raised my children doing activities with them. As a homeschool mom, I am always looking for ways to make our learning fun. I'm honored to be able to contribute my ideas to the awesome site that is Hands On As We Grow.

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Reader Interactions

19 comments.

Stacey A Johnson says

November 24, 2020 at 8:46 pm

This is fantastic! Thank you for sharing! I have been putting science bags together to send home for my kinders because we are doing online school….I was looking for some light activities because we are going to tie them into the holidays we study in December. (The idea that most celebrations, customs, rituals, use some sort of light) I can’t wait to do this with them!

MaleSensePro says

February 10, 2020 at 11:29 pm

Its a great learning experience.. its indeed the best kind of way kids should learn, thanks for sharing :)

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Potato Light Bulb Experiment

(Physics for ages 8+)

If you’re looking for an exciting and boredom-busting activity, this just might be the one for you! Did you know you can use potatoes to light up a light bulb ? It seems crazy, but there is electrical energy all around us and even in everyday things like the food we eat. The video above shows exactly how it’s done. Here’s what you’ll need:

Potatoes Copper wire or copper nails Iron-galvanized nails Electrical wire (with or without alligator clips) Light bulb Voltmeter (optional) Adult supervision (Adult supervision at all times please)

A potato is made up of water, sugar, and acid. When certain metals, like the copper and galvanized iron, are inserted into it, they react and create a flow of electrically charged molecules to move from the negative terminal to the positive terminal.

This reaction also released hydrogen gas as the charged molecules move through the entire potato circuit. Each potato releases a certain voltage, so connecting them in a series increases the total voltage output, which in turn brightens the light bulb. What other kinds of food might work to create a “ food battery ?”

Science Fun

Balloon Powered Lightbulb Science Experiment

In this fun and easy science experiment, we’re going to show you how to use a balloon to power a lightbulb.

CFL lightbulb
A dark room

Instructions:

Blow up the balloon and tie off the end.
Move into the darkened space.
Wait a few minutes for your eyes to adjust.
Rub the balloon against your hair numerous times.
Hold the balloon by the tied end with one hand so that the top of the balloon dangles toward the floor.
With your other hand, hold the CFL lightbulb near the balloon but do not move the lightbulb or touch the balloon.
Now move the balloon back and forth over the bulb, still not touching it, and observe what happens.

EXPLORE AWESOME SCIENCE EXPERIMENT VIDEOS!

How it Works:

Your hair imparted electrical charges called static electricity onto the balloon when rubbed against your hair. The CFL bulb also contains electrical charges and these are attracted to the electrical charges on the balloon. As you move the balloon, the electrical charges in the lightbulb move to try and connect with the electrical charges on the balloon. When these electrical charges move around in the bulb, they bump into chemicals in the lightbulb and create light.

Make This A Science Project:

Try this easy balloon experiment with a medical glove. Does adding salt to the balloon have any noticeable effect on the experiment? Try the hair of different friends. Try rubbing the balloon on wool. Try different types of bulbs. Try different sized balloons.

EXPLORE TONS OF FUN AND EASY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS!

SUBSCRIBE AND NEVER MISS A NEW SCIENCE FUN VIDEO!

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Next experiment.

Build a Light Bulb – Circuits

Create a battery-powered light bulb from household items.

Print this Experiment

When you are conducting experiments and demonstrations using electricity, you’ll use the science of circuits. Amazing things are possible with circuits including alarms, radios, and lights. In the Build a Light Bulb experiment, you’ll use household items to construct a complete circuit that results in a homemade light bulb.

Experiment Videos

Here's What You'll Need

Eight d-sized batteries, mason jar or other clear glass, electrical tape, toilet paper tube, .5 mm mechanical pencil refill, two sets of small alligator clips, adult supervision, let's try it.

Using electrical tape, fix eight D-sized batteries together, end-to-end, with the positive ends connected to the negative ends.

Use scissors to cut a toilet paper tube to a height that will fit comfortably inside of a mason jar or other clear glass (leave plenty of room).

Tape one positive and one negative alligator clip to one end of the toilet paper tube. Make sure the clip is facing up, away from the rest of the toilet paper tube.

Tape the tube with the clips attached to a pie pan (or other heat resistant surface) so that it stands upright, with the clips facing up.

Carefully clip a mechanical pencil refill between the two alligator clips. The pencil refill needs to be in one piece, so be gentle.

Place a mason jar or clear glass over the top of the toilet paper tube stand.

Touch the other positive and negative ends of the alligator clips to the ends of your super battery.

Give the circuit a moment to circulate the electricity and… voila! The pencil refill begins to glow.

How Does It Work

When you touch the free ends of the alligator clips to your “super battery,” you form a complete circuit. That means electricity flows freely through the entire apparatus that you have just built. This flow of electricity channels through the graphite-based mechanical pencil refill that is connected by alligator clips. The flowing electricity has a noticeable effect on the pencil refill, as it begins to glow and give off smoke. This happens because the electricity heats the graphite refill to an incredible temperature.

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Potato Light Bulb Experiment

Explore how potatoes can power a light bulb! This potato light bulb experiment is a fantastic way to introduce kids to electricity and circuits. Follow the printable step by step instructions to set up your own potato battery for an engaging addition to any STEAM curriculum.

Explore the physical sciences with this simple circuit activity for kids. Make sure to get the free printable instructions further below! It is perfect for 4th grade , 5th grade, and 6th grade science .

2-3 large potatoes
2 copper wires
2 galvanized nails (zinc-coated)
1 small LED light bulb (a low voltage one)
2 alligator clips
A knife (for adult use only)
A multimeter (optional for measuring voltage)

Instructions:

STEP 1. Start by cutting the potatoes in half if they are too large. You’ll need two halves per potato. If your potatoes are a manageable size, you can use them whole. Make sure each potato has a flat surface to rest on.

STEP 2. Insert one galvanized nail into each potato. Push it in deep enough to stay secure, but not go through.

STEP 3. Insert one copper wire into each potato, ensuring it’s not too close to the nail. The wire and nail should be about 1-2 inches apart.

STEP 4. Connect the first potato’s copper wire to the second potato’s nail using an alligator clip. If you’re using more than two potatoes, continue connecting them in this series pattern: copper wire to nail, and so on.

STEP 5. Next set up the light bulb. Using an alligator clip, connect the free copper wire from the first potato to one terminal of the LED light bulb.

STEP 6. Connect the free nail from the last potato to the other terminal of the LED light bulb with the second alligator clip.

Choose the Right Bulb: Ensure your LED light bulb is low voltage; otherwise the potatoes may not generate enough power.

Once all connections are secure, the LED light bulb should light up. If it doesn’t, check all connections to ensure they are tight and correct.

Optional – Measure the Voltage: If you have a multimeter, you can measure the voltage your potato battery produces. Connect the probes to the nails and wires to see the electrical output.

Free Potato Light Bulb Printable Instructions

Grab free instructions to add this potato light bulb project to your STEM lesson plan!

How Does It Work?

This potato light bulb experiment is a simple way to demonstrates how a chemical reaction can produce electricity.

Your circuit is made up of a potato which acts as an electrolyte , a substance that contains free ions and conducts electricity. Copper wire (or a coin) and a galvanized nail (zinc-coated) are used as electrodes . Alligator clips are used to connect the metals to complete the circuit. A light bulb or LED is used to show that electricity is being produced.

The potato contains phosphoric acid, which interacts with the zinc and copper. The zinc undergoes an chemical reaction (oxidation) where it loses electrons and these electrons flow through the wire from the zinc nail to the copper wire.

As the electrons flow from the zinc to the copper, they pass through the wire and light up the bulb or LED.

In the potato, positively charged hydrogen ions move towards the copper electrode, where they gain electrons (reduction). This completes the circuit, allowing continuous electron flow.

A potato battery is a fun demonstration of the principles of electricity, and shows how chemical energy can be converted into electrical energy.

Experiment Further: Try using different fruits or vegetables like lemons or apples to see if they work as a battery and produce a similar or different voltage.

More Electricity Experiments For Kids

Make a Lemon Battery
Build a Simple Robot Car
Power a Clock With A Pumpkin

Also explore…

Static Electricity
Light Energy
Potential & Kinetic Energy
Chemical Reactions

STEM Resources To Get You Started

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce STEM more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.

Engineering Design Process Explained
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Engineering Words
Real World STEM
Questions for Reflection (get them talking about it!)
BEST STEM Books for Kids
14 Engineering Books for Kids
Jr. Engineer Challenge Calendar (Free)
Must Have STEM Supplies List
Join us in the Club

Printable STEM Pack for Kids

80+ Doable Engineering Projects in one convenient pack!

Full instructions with sample images
Activity-specific instruction sheets
Data Collection Sheets
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Paper Chain STEM Challenge: Who can make the longest chain? Great icebreaker or quick challenge!
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Great marshmallow challenge: A classic challenge kids love!
Real-world STEM challenge lesson but don’t know where to start? Our easy-to-follow template shows the steps!
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Crossword and word search with engineering vocabulary.
Engineering vocabulary cards
Design a one-of-a-kind invention and write about it with this 5-page activity!

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Subscribe to receive a free 5-Day STEM Challenge Guide

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Top 15 Light Related Science Experiments

Light experiments lets us unlock some of nature’s most intriguing riddles and appreciate the magic that illuminates our everyday experiences.

We have carefully selected the best light-related experiments, prioritizing fun and educational experiences that will surely engage young minds.

Our compilation of light experiments will illuminate the minds of students and teachers alike. This curated collection offers an extraordinary opportunity to explore the captivating world of light through hands-on activities.

1. Potato Light Bulb

Prepare to be amazed by the power of potatoes in our extraordinary potato light bulb experiments! In these captivating experiments, students will discover the remarkable ability of a humble potato to generate electricity and light up an LED bulb.

Learn more: Potato Light Bulb

2. Bending Light

In these mesmerizing light experiments, students have the opportunity to unravel the mysteries of refraction and explore the wonders of bending light.

3. Light Refraction

By engaging in these experiments, students will not only witness the mesmerizing effects of light refraction but also gain a deeper understanding of the scientific principles behind it.

4. Newton’s Light Spectrum Experiment

Step into the fascinating world of light and color with Newton’s Light Spectrum Experiment! Inspired by the groundbreaking discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton, these captivating experiments will take students on a journey to explore the nature of light.

5. Newton’s Prism Experiment

Learn about optics and unravel the mysteries of light with Newton’s Prism Experiment. Inspired by Sir Isaac Newton’s groundbreaking discoveries, these experiments offer a thrilling opportunity for students to explore the phenomenon of light dispersion and the creation of a vivid spectrum of colors.

6. Total Internal Reflection

These experiments provide a hands-on opportunity for students to observe and investigate how total internal reflection can be harnessed in practical applications such as fiber optics and reflective surfaces.

7. Colored Light Experiments

Prepare to immerse yourself in a vibrant world of colors with these captivating colored light experiments! In these hands-on activities, students will uncover the magic of colored light and its intriguing properties.

8. Capture a Light Wave

By employing innovative techniques and tools, students will learn how to capture and analyze light waves, unraveling the secrets hidden within their intricate patterns.

9. Home-made Kaleidescope

Unleash your creativity and embark on a mesmerizing journey of light and patterns with our homemade kaleidoscope experiments! By constructing your very own kaleidoscope, you’ll unlock optical wonders.

Learn more: Home-made Kaleidescope

10. Push Things with Light

Through engaging hands-on activities, students will experiment with the fascinating principles of photon momentum and the transfer of energy through light.

11. Erase Light with a Laser: The Photon Experiment

Can light be erased? Through hands-on activities, students will discover surprising answers. By utilizing lasers, students will learn about the principles of photon absorption and emission, investigating whether it is possible to erase light.

12. Exploring Shapes and Patterns on a Mirror Box

By creating your own mirror box, you’ll learn about optical illusions and reflections. In these experiments, students will explore the fascinating interplay between light, mirrors, and geometry.

Learn more: Exploring Shapes and Patterns on a Mirror Box

13. Electromagnetic Spectrum Experiment

Get ready for an illuminating adventure as we dive into the fascinating world of visible light where students will have the opportunity to explore the electromagnetic spectrum and unravel the mysteries of light.

14. Light Patterns in a Box

By manipulating light sources and objects, students will witness the magic of shadows, diffraction, and interference, resulting in a dazzling display of intricate patterns and colors.

Learn more: Light Patterns in a Box

15. Light Maze

Prepare to navigate a mesmerizing journey through the enchanting world of light with our captivating light maze experiments! In these immersive activities, students will learn about the magic of manipulating light to create intricate mazes and pathways.

Ingredients:

3-4 potatoes
Two pennies/coins
Two zinc-plated nails
Three pieces of copper wire (with or without alligator clips)
Small light bulb or LED light
Grownup Supervision

Be careful when handling the wires, because there is a small electric charge running through the wires. Hydrogen gas may also be a byproduct of the chemical reactions in the potato, so don't perform the experiment near open flames or strong sources of heat

Instructions:

Start with two potatoes to see if they can turn on the light. If not, then experimentation is the key...

Insert a coin and the end of one piece of copper wire into the potato so that they are pressed together inside the potato
Wrap the loose end of the wire around one of the nails and insert it into the other potato
Push a nail into the potato with the coin in it and wrap the end of a piece of wire around the top of the nail
Insert a coin and the end of one piece of copper wire into the potato that has no coin in it
Connect the two loose ends of the wires to the light bulb and watch it light up!
If you are using thin electric wire without alligator clips, you will need to remove some of the plastic covering.
If the light doesn’t turn on, try turning the light around the other way (LEDS are polarized). If it still doesn’t work then try a different light.
If it STILL doesn’t light up you may not have enough voltage. So you can try cutting the potatoes in half and adding in more coins and nails to make the circuit bigger.
If you have a voltmeter, replace the light bulb with the test terminals of the voltmeter to test the voltage coursing through the potato circuit. Start with a small circuit of just one or two potatoes and work your way up to several potatoes, testing the voltage of each circuit. You can also try different types of potatoes to see which kind makes the most powerful circuit.

The Science:

We all know that electricity is what makes a light bulb work, right? The crazy thing is that there is electrical energy all around us, even in the food we eat. This experiment is leveraging that electrical energy. Here's how it works...

A potato contains sugar, water and acid. Certain types of metals – especially copper and zinc – react with the potato when they are inserted inside.

The copper and zinc have chemical energy . The zinc is more reactive than the copper so it wants to take electrons from the copper. In other words, the metals become electrodes , one positive and the other negative, and electrons flow between the metals. The potato acts as an electrolyte , which means it enables the electrons to flow through it.

When the nail and pennies are connected to a potato in a circuit, the chemical energy is converted to electrical energy .

You can tap into the electricity by connecting wires from the electrodes to a light bulb to form a circuit. The electrons flow from the positive electrode to the light bulb and back to the negative electrode. The electrical current passing through the light bulb is enough to make it light up.

What other kinds of food might work to create a battery? Perhaps a lemon?

Happy experimenting!

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5 benefits of creative writing for children, 🍍 big news from code pineapple – we’re heading to bologna 🍍, scaredy bat and the fool’s gold, scaredy bat and the crushed robot, choose the next code pineapple book series.

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Magic Light Bulb Balloon Science Experiment

By: Author Sara McClure

Posted on Published: October 30, 2017 - Last updated: May 31, 2018

Categories Homeschool , Kids Activities , Science

Sharing is caring!

My kids love balloons. What kid doesn't? So, it's only natural that we would do balloon science experiments . There are lots of science experiments with balloons out there, but this Magic Light Bulb Balloon Science Experiment is the most fascinating of all. My kids were mesmerized and asked to do it over and over again. That's the sign of a good, easy science experiment for kids. This science activity with a balloon is a great balloon STEM activity. It would even be a fun balloon magic trick for kids...because this activity definitely has some magic to it. Pure magic, I tell ya. You'll definitely get some cool points for doing this one.

$child\'s left hand holding a blue balloon over a light bulb with the right hand, black background$

What if I told you that you could make a light bulb light up with a balloon? Would you believe me? Probably not, but it's definitely possible with this balloon science activity!

What you will need:

An energy-saving fluorescent light bulb (often called a compact fluorescent light bulb)
A dark room

Blow up the balloon and tie it.

Go into a dark room with the balloon and the light bulb . Wait a minute for your eyes to adjust to the darkness.

Rub the top of the balloon back and forth on your hair several times to make some static electricity.

little boy in a red striped shirt rubbing a blue balloon on his hair on top of his head

Point the light bulb towards the top of the balloon, holding the bulb close to the place where you rubbed the balloon.

Move the balloon back and forth quickly over the light bulb. Don't touch the balloon to the bulb.

Watch the magic happen.

$child\'s left hand holding a blue balloon over a light bulb in their right hand, black background$

Hold the balloon still near the bulb. Notice that the bulb does not light up when the balloon is still. The only time you see the effect is when the balloon is moving.

Note: If you don't see anything happen in your bulb, your room might not be dark enough or you hair might not be clean enough. Try dimming the room more or try using someone else's hair. You can also try rubbing the balloon on a wool blanket. If the humidity is high, you might try on a less humid day.

How did the balloon light up?

If the experiment went well, you should have seen a dim light coming from the bulb when you moved the balloon. The light didn't appear when you held the balloon still; you only saw it when the balloon was moving. So, what explains this interesting effect?

Your hair contains electrical charges. When you rubbed the balloon in your hair, it picked up some of those electrical charges (static electricity). Well, the light bulb you used also has electrical charges in it, and some of them were attracted to the balloon. When you moved the balloon , it moved the electrical charges inside the bulb. Eventually, those charges bumped into some chemical in the bulb, and that bump caused the mechanical energy (motion) of the moving charges to be converted to radiant energy (light).

This is actually how these light bulbs produce light. When the electrical charges bump into chemicals in the light bulb, mechanical energy is converted to radiant energy. As a result, light is made. When you are using the light bulb in a lamp, the electricity that runs the lamp moves the electrical charges inside the bulb. Instead of using electricity from the wall socket, however, you used a balloon with electrical charges just so you could see it is the energy of motion (mechanical energy) that gets converted into light (radiant energy).

Now, if you didn't understand all of that, don't worry about it. The only thing you have to understand is that the mechanical energy of the balloon's motion was converted into another form of energy: radiant energy. Since radiant energy is light, you ended up seeing the light coming from the light bulb .

Balloons on the Brain

Balloons are for more than just science experiments and balloon animals. If you love balloons, you're sure to love these items. There's everything from shirts to home decor included in this list. There's something for everyone.

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Charge a Light Bulb Experiment

Charge a light bulb with the use of comb with the Charge a Light Bulb Experiment. Electricity is generated when there is a flow of electric charge through a material, usually with conducting property.

This article is a part of the guide:

Kids' Science Projects
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1 Kids' Science Projects
2 How to Conduct Science Experiments
3.1 Mold Bread
3.2 Popcorn
3.3 Salt Water Egg
3.4 Corrosiveness of Soda
3.5 Egg in a Bottle
3.6 Fruit Battery
4.1 Pendulum
4.2 Paper Towel
4.3 Paper Airplane
4.4 Charge a Light Bulb
4.5 Lifting Ice Cube
4.6 Magic Egg
4.7 Magic Jumping Coin
4.8 Invisible Ink
4.9 Making-a-Rainbow
4.10 Oil Spill
4.11 Balloon Rocket Car
4.12 Build an Electromagnet
4.13 Create a Heat Detector
4.14 Creating a Volcano
4.15 Home-Made Glue
4.16 Home-Made Stethoscope
4.17 Magic Balloon
4.18 Make a Matchbox Guitar
4.19 Make Your Own Slime
5.1 Heron’s Aeolipile
5.2 Make an Archimedes Screw
5.3 Build an Astrolabe
5.4 Archimedes Displacement
5.5 Make Heron’s Fountain
5.6 Create a Sundial

In this experiment, we will charge a light bulb just with the use of a comb and no other means of electricity.

In this experiment you will need:

Woollen scarf

Go to a dark room and bring all the materials with you - the light bulb, the comb and the scarf. Rub the comb thoroughly against the woollen scarf for 5 to 10 minutes. If you do not have a woollen scarf around, you may just run the comb through your hair in at least 30 strokes to achieve the same effect. After doing such, quickly stick the comb to the metal end of the light bulb and observe the filament of the bulb light up! Magic!

Didn't think that this was possible? Electricity is generated not only by plugging an appliance in an outlet or with the use of dry cell batteries. Electricity can also be generated by rubbing two things against each other such as the comb and the woollen cloth or even your hair. Rubbing the two materials against each other thoroughly creates friction, which then allows the electrons from your hair or cloth to travel to the comb, making the comb negatively charged and the other material positively charged as it loses its electrons in the process.

Now that the comb is charged, sticking it to the metal end of the light bulb makes its filament emit small pulses of light!

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Explorable.com (Jul 7, 2011). Charge a Light Bulb Experiment. Retrieved Aug 10, 2024 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/charge-a-light-bulb-experiment

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Heat from the light bulb

Introduction: (initial observation).

Light bulbs are available in many different sizes, wattage and styles. Almost all light bulbs get hot, some more and some less. Heat of light bulb may be high enough to cause fire. A piece of paper or cotton cloth next to a hot light bulb is a recipe for disaster. Heat of light bulbs are often high enough to be used as heat source. I have seen an egg incubator warming up by a few light bulbs.

Egg incubators are machines for hatching eggs artificially.

Do all light bulbs produce the same amount of heat? Does the size of light bulb affect the heat it produces? Does the wattage of a light bulb affect the heat it produces? These are all possible questions that may be studied.

In this project you will study the effect of wattage on the heat a light bulb produce.

This project guide contains information that you need in order to start your project. If you have any questions or need more support about this project, click on the “ Ask Question ” button on the top of this page to send me a message.

If you are new in doing science project, click on “ How to Start ” in the main page. There you will find helpful links that describe different types of science projects, scientific method, variables, hypothesis, graph, abstract and all other general basics that you need to know.

Project advisor

Information Gathering:

Find out about light bulbs and how they work. Read books, magazines or ask professionals who might know in order to learn about the effect of wattage on producing heat. Keep track of where you got your information from.

Following are samples of information you may find:

Types of light bulbs

There are three different basic types of light bulbs, incandescent, fluorescent, and high-intensity discharge. Each type works a little differently. There are also differences within each of these groups. Bulbs come in different shapes, sizes, wattages and voltages. There are also a number of different bases on these different bulbs.

Incandescent

An incandescent light bulb is a glass bulb with a metal wire called a filament inside a vacuum. As electricity flows through the filament it heats up and glows, thereby producing light. Much of the energy used to create the light is lost in heat which is why incandescent are not the most efficient type of light.

Incandescent bulbs come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some common shapes are a round globe, like we use in a bathroom bar type fixture. The standard pear shape used in common lighting fixtures. Long tube shape for use in fish tank lights and wall painting accent lights. Reflector bulbs are those found in recessed lights. PAR or parabolic aluminized reflector bulbs can be used to direct light and with a thick glass exterior, can be used outdoors. Halogen bulbs are a recent improvement on the incandescent idea. The filament is encased in a small quartz envelope and because it burns at a high temperature a chemical reaction occurs causing the filament to last much longer than an ordinary incandescent.

Fluorescent

Fluorescent light bulbs are comprised of a thin glass tube that is coated on the inside with a white powder called phosphor. A ballast produces a high current which passes through the bulb and with the gas inside creates ultraviolet energy which hits the phosphor and gets converted to light. The fluorescent light has traditionally been used mostly in retail, commercial and educational buildings. In recent years, with the improvement in the quality of light from fluorescents and the introduction of compact fluorescents, there has been a large move into the residential market.

The advantages of fluorescent is they last much longer than incandescent and are much more energy efficient.

High intensity discharge lamps work in a similar way to fluorescent light bulbs. They work by having electricity create an arc which makes a gas inside a quartz envelope burn very hot thereby producing light. This type of light is very efficient and is used mostly in outdoor applications. Most street lighting you see and stadium lighting is HID.

There are advantages and disadvantages with different types of bulbs. Halogens, for instance, give a close to sunlight type of light but the trade off is they burn very hot. Fluorescent lighting is both economical to run and cool but generally don’t come in a lot of attractive fixtures.

Source…

Incandescent lights give off heat as well as light energy. The higher the wattage of the light bulb the higher the temperature. A compact fluorescent bulb gives off very little heat energy because they do not use resistance and cause a light to glow hot.

Question/ Purpose:

What do you want to find out? Write a statement that describes what you want to do. Use your observations and questions to write the statement.

The purpose of this project is to study the heat production by different sizes of light bulbs. The question is:

Does the wattage of a light bulb affect the amount of heat it produces?

Identify Variables:

When you think you know what variables may be involved, think about ways to change one at a time. If you change more than one at a time, you will not know what variable is causing your observation. Sometimes variables are linked and work together to cause something. At first, try to choose variables that you think act independently of each other.

Independent variable (also known as manipulated variable) is the wattage of the light bulb.

Dependent variable (also known as responding variable) is the heat each light bulb produces.

Constant is the type of light bulb (incandescent), experiment procedure and method.

Hypothesis:

Based on your gathered information, make an educated guess about what types of things affect the system you are working with. Identifying variables is necessary before you can make a hypothesis.

This is a sample hypothesis:

All same type light bulbs produce the same amount of heat. The wattage only affects the amount of light each light bulb produces. My hypothesis is based on my observation of incandescent light bulbs that are all hot and fluorescent light bulbs that are just warm.

This is another sample hypothesis:

In same type light bulbs, as the wattage increases, the amount of heat will increase as well. My hypothesis is based on my observation of my desk lamp that gets very hot and my night light that does not get very hot.

Please note that your experiment results may or may not support your hypothesis. In other words your hypothesis may be proven wrong.

Experiment Design:

Design an experiment to test each hypothesis. Make a step-by-step list of what you will do to answer each question. This list is called an experimental procedure. For an experiment to give answers you can trust, it must have a “control.” A control is an additional experimental trial or run. It is a separate experiment, done exactly like the others. The only difference is that no experimental variables are changed. A control is a neutral “reference point” for comparison that allows you to see what changing a variable does by comparing it to not changing anything. Dependable controls are sometimes very hard to develop. They can be the hardest part of a project. Without a control you cannot be sure that changing the variable causes your observations. A series of experiments that includes a control is called a “controlled experiment.”

Experiment 1: Compare the radiated heat energy of different wattage light bulbs

A goose-neck style lamp.
An extension cord.
Different wattage of incandescent light bulbs – 25 watt, 40 watt, 60 watt, 75 watt, 100 watt, 150 watt.
Compact Fluorescent light bulbs – 7 watt, 23 watt – They are expensive; so shop around for ones that don’t cost so much.
Thermometer.
A ruler or yard stick to measure distance from the thermometer to the light bulb.
A white towel.
A watch or stop watch to measure the time.
A piece of paper and pencil to record your observations.

Put the towel on a flat table.

Put the goose neck lamp on the end of the towel on the table Put the thermometer under the light of the lamp and measure the distance from the bulb. Make sure the lamp is unplugged and screw in the smallest wattage light bulb

5. Measure the temperature and write down the start temperature Angle lamp over thermometer and turn on lamp. Leave lamp shining on the thermometer for at least five minutes Start watch and at the end of five minutes read the temperature and mark down what the final temperature is.

Repeat the steps above with each different light bulb.

Allow the lamp and desk to cool for half an hour between each bulb.
Do not unscrew the light bulb right after turning off the lamp as the bulb may be hot and can burn you.
Unplug the lamp before changing the bulb.
Make sure the distance between the thermometer and the light bulb is the same for each different bulb. The thermometer should be in the same spot.
The starting temperature for thermometer should be about the same for each light bulb.

Hints for better results:

Push the lamp down so it will be very close to the thermometer bulb before you turn on the lamp. Heat tends to move up; so, if your lamp is far from the thermometer you may not see any temperature increase. With a few trials you will learn what is the best, but safe distance of the bulb for your experiment.
Wrap a black paper or cloth to the bulb of your thermometer so it will absorb the radiated heat.

Experiment 2: Compare the total heat energy of different wattage light bulbs

Introduction:

Light bulbs may come in different sizes. In larger light bulbs the heat will distribute over a large surface, so it may feel cooler. In some light bulbs part of heat may be produced by their transformers or other external components. Low efficiency light bulbs may get very hot without radiating much heat and light. The previous experiment that only measures the radiated heat does not provide a reliable result for such light bulbs. In this experiment we collect the entire heat in a box and record the temperature increase in the box.

Cliplight, small lamp or a surface mount receptacle.
Carton box with one open side
2 thermometers (one used as control)
3 different light bulbs
Clock or stopwatch

Preparation:

Secure a surface mount receptacle on the center of a table so you can screw different light bulbs on that for your experiment. The receptacle may be connected to an outlet near the table.

An inexpensive cliplight may substitute the receptacle. Cliplights are available in hardware stores and home improvement stores. They come with a long electric cord and they have a switch used to turn off and on the light.

Prepare a box that is open from one side. This box must be large enough to cover the light bulbs that you test and have at least 15 centimeters (6 inches) space around the bulb. If the light bulb is very close to the sides of the box it may cause overheat and smoke.

Insert a thermometer in one corner of the box. Partial immersion thermometers have a marking that show how deep you may insert the thermometer.

Read the startup temperature and record it.
Mount (screw) the first light bulb, turn it on and immediately place the cover and record the time.
Wait for 5 minutes, record the temperature again, remove the box and then turn off the light bulb.
Wait until everything cools off to the room temperature and then repeat the steps 1 to 3 with every other light bulb that you have prepared to test.
Record your results in a table like this:

Temperature increase caused by three incandescent light bulbs with different wattages.


Incandescent	40
Incandescent	60
Incandescent	100

Need a control experiment?

Place another thermometer away from your experiment setup and do nothing with that. Just look at it and record the ambient temperature before and after each test. The purpose of having control is to show that temperature increase in the box is not a weather phenomena or is not caused by an unknown condition, but it is caused by the light bulb inside the box.

Materials and Equipment:

List of material for experiment 1:

Thermometer. ( where to buy? )

List of material for experiment 2:

2 thermometers (one used as control) ( where to buy? )
Different wattage of incandescent light bulbs – 40 watt, 60 watt, 100 watt.
Clock or stopwatch to measure the time
Paper and pencil to record your data

Results of Experiment (Observation):

Experiments are often done in series. A series of experiments can be done by changing one variable a different amount each time. A series of experiments is made up of separate experimental “runs.” During each run you make a measurement of how much the variable affected the system under study. For each run, a different amount of change in the variable is used. This produces a different amount of response in the system. You measure this response, or record data, in a table for this purpose. This is considered “raw data” since it has not been processed or interpreted yet. When raw data gets processed mathematically, for example, it becomes results.

Calculations:

If you do any calculations for your your project, you must write your calculations in this part of your report.

Summary of Results:

Summarize what happened. This can be in the form of a table of processed numerical data, or graphs. It could also be a written statement of what occurred during experiments.

It is from calculations using recorded data that tables and graphs are made. Studying tables and graphs, we can see trends that tell us how different variables cause our observations. Based on these trends, we can draw conclusions about the system under study. These conclusions help us confirm or deny our original hypothesis. Often, mathematical equations can be made from graphs. These equations allow us to predict how a change will affect the system without the need to do additional experiments. Advanced levels of experimental science rely heavily on graphical and mathematical analysis of data. At this level, science becomes even more interesting and powerful.

Conclusion:

Using the trends in your experimental data and your experimental observations, try to answer your original questions. Is your hypothesis correct? Now is the time to pull together what happened, and assess the experiments you did.

Possible Errors:

If you did not observe anything different than what happened with your control, the variable you changed may not affect the system you are investigating. If you did not observe a consistent, reproducible trend in your series of experimental runs there may be experimental errors affecting your results. The first thing to check is how you are making your measurements. Is the measurement method questionable or unreliable? Maybe you are reading a scale incorrectly, or maybe the measuring instrument is working erratically.

If you determine that experimental errors are influencing your results, carefully rethink the design of your experiments. Review each step of the procedure to find sources of potential errors. If possible, have a scientist review the procedure with you. Sometimes the designer of an experiment can miss the obvious.

References:

Visit your local library and find books about electricity, heat, light bulbs and physics. Name such books as your references in your report. You may also name ScienceProject.com and other related websites as your online references.

Which light bulb is bright but cool?
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Electricity and Magnetism: What Are They & Why Are They Important?

Important Facts About Thomas Edison & the Invention of the Light Bulb

How Has the Incandescent Lightbulb Changed Over the Years?

Since the dawn of human history, moonlight, candles and lanterns provided the only illumination. During the first half of the 19th century, gas lighting developed and flourished. Unfortunately, gas produced a flickering light that burned down theaters and homes worldwide. Electric arc lighting, invented in 1809, was much safer but far too bright for use in a small area. A smaller light was needed, and in 1880 Thomas Edison patented the first commercially viable incandescent light bulb.

Thomas Edison

Born in Milan, Ohio February 11, 1847, Thomas Alva Edison credited his mother for the success of his ever-inquisitive mind, once saying, "My mother was the making of me. She understood me; she let me follow my bent." Edison worked as a newspaper carrier and telegrapher, but invention was his calling. From his childhood hobby of chemical experimentation to becoming a legendary inventor, he constantly tinkered with new and better ways of doing things. He patented his first invention, an electric voting machine, in 1868. From there he filed patents for the phonograph, motion picture camera, advances in telephone technology and over a thousand other inventions.

Light Bulb Pioneers

Thomas Edison did not invent the incandescent light bulb. Twenty three different light bulbs were developed before Edison's. The principle was to pass an electric current through a filament powerful enough to cause it to glow without combusting. Among the pre-Edison pioneers of electric lighting, Sir Humphrey Davy created the first electric arc lamp in 1809. Warren De la Rue designed the first incandescent light in 1820. La Rue's design depended on a platinum filament, far too expensive for any practical application. Over half a century of experimentation focused primarily on finding an inexpensive filament that could produce electric light for any useful length of time.

Edison's Experiments

Thomas Edison and his lab associates, called "Muckers," conducted thousands of experiments to develop the electric light bulb. To make it functional, each step required the invention of a new component, from vacuumed and sealed glass bulbs to switches, special types of wire and meters. Like previous efforts, the greatest challenge was coming up with a material that could serve as a long-lasting filament. After testing thousands of materials, including over 6,000 types of plant growths, they found the best substance was carbonized cotton thread.

The Final Product

Edison was able to produce over 13 continuous hours of light with the cotton thread filament, and filed his first light bulb patent on January 27, 1880. Later, he and his researchers found that the ideal filament substance was carbonized bamboo, which produced over 1,200 hours of continuous light. The first large-scale test of Edison's lights occurred September 4, 1882 when 25 buildings in New York City's financial district were illuminated.

"The electric light has caused me the greatest amount of study and has required the most elaborate experiments," Edison later wrote. "I was never myself discouraged, or inclined to be hopeless of success. I cannot say the same for all my associates."

How has the incandescent lightbulb changed over the..., who invented the circuit breaker, how did thomas edison's light bulb work, the inventions of thomas edison for kids, list of edison's inventions, what were some inventions between 1750-1900, what elements are in light bulbs, invention of the first traffic light, importance of the michael faraday invention of the..., description of a flying shuttle, information about light bulbs for kids, science discoveries of the 70s, things michael faraday invented, the first camera invented: how did it work, how did electric power impact industry, what is hertz in electricity, the history of spectrophotometry, how do i calculate lumens lighting for a shop, facts about neon lights, why do fluorescent lights flicker.

The Franklin Institute: Edison's Lightbulb
National Archives: Thomas Edison's Patent Application for the Light Bulb
Edison Muckers: Thomas Edison Lightbulb
The Idea Finder: Light Bulb

About the Author

Charles Hooper began writing as a career in 2009. Since then he has published a nonpartisan political advocacy book and hundreds of articles. An honors graduate from the University of North Carolina at Asheville where he concentrated in sociology and political science, he later earned a Masters degree in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Power a Light with Static Electricity - Use static electricity to light up a fluorescent light bulb.

Posted by Admin / in Energy & Electricity Experiments

Static electricity can provide enough power to light up a light bulb. If you have ever experienced a little zap from static electricity, this amount of energy is capable of powering a fluorescent light bulb for a short time.

Materials Needed

Fluorescent light bulb

EXPERIMENT STEPS

Step 1: Blow up a balloon and tie off the end.

Step 2: Rub the balloon vigorously against the hair on your head.

Step 3: Go into a dark room.

Step 4: Touch the balloon against the two metal electrode prongs on the bottom of the fluorescent light bulb.

Step 5: Watch what happens when the static electricity discharges from the surface of the balloon into the fluorescent light bulb.

Step 6: Repeat rubbing the balloon to add more static electricity to the surface of the balloon. If careful, the balloon can be held against the light bulb as it is rubbed against hair. As the balloon surface builds up enough static electricity it will discharge into the light bulb frequently, resulting in light.

SCIENCE LEARNED

Extra electrons from the hair transfer to an area on the surface of the balloon giving it a negative charge. The majority of the surface of the balloon still has a neutral charge. If the balloon is rubbed for longer, more of the surface will build up a negative charge.

The fluorescent light bulb acts as an electrical circuit, allowing the electricity to discharge from the surface of the balloon into the light circuit. Inside the fluorescent bulb the electrons travel through the light tube they bump against mercury gas electrons. Eventually this causes the mercury gas electrons to release photons which is the source of the light. The light only occurs until all of the static electricity charge from the surface of the balloon where the light bulb electrode prongs are touching is used up. If you move the prongs to another area of the balloon surface you will see another light up in the bulb if there are still negative charged electrons there.

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Milk and the Light Bulb

February 29, 2024

As an enthusiastic preschool teacher, I am always on the lookout for fun and educational science experiments to engage my littles. . Recently, I came across a fascinating experiment on the Internet that promised to combine art, chemistry, and a touch of magic. Eager to try it out, I gathered my little scientists and embarked on what seemed like an exciting adventure. Little did I know that this experiment would teach us a valuable lesson about the importance of critical thinking and not trusting everything we read online.

The experiment involved placing milk in a shallow dish and adding drops of food coloring around the edges. A lightbulb was to be placed in the center, and finally, a drop of dish soap was added to the mixture. According to the instructions, the lightbulb was supposed to light up, creating a mesmerizing display of colors as the dish soap interacted with the milk and food coloring.

With anticipation and excitement, we followed the steps meticulously. The children’s eyes sparkled with wonder as they watched the food coloring mix and create captivating designs in the milk. However, the much-awaited moment of the lightbulb lighting up never came. We were left perplexed, scratching our heads, wondering what went wrong.

Upon reflecting on our failed experiment, I decided to delve deeper into the science behind it. As it turns out, the experiment we attempted is a popular one known as the “Milk and Soap Experiment” or “Milk Magic.” The dish soap, when added to the milk, disrupts the surface tension of the liquid. This causes the fat molecules in the milk to move, creating a swirling motion that carries the food coloring along with it, resulting in the mesmerizing patterns we observed.

However, the claim that the lightbulb would light up was where the experiment fell short. The Internet can sometimes be a source of misleading or inaccurate information, and this experiment was a prime example. The idea that the dish soap and milk mixture would conduct electricity and light up the bulb is simply not scientifically accurate.

I will add the video to our group.

Light Bulb Balloon Experiment

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Did you know that you can illuminate a light bulb with the static electricity from a balloon!? I didn’t believe it either until I saw it with my own eyes. So let’s go ahead and see how it works with this Light Bulb Balloon Experiment!

This super cool and easy experiment will not only amaze your kids, but you will probably find yourself wondering how a balloon can light up a light bulb too!

Get more super cool Static Electricity Experiments here!

Table of Contents

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Supplies Needed:

1 CFL Light Bulb
1 Large Balloon

How do You Light a Light Bulb With a Balloon?

Inflate a large balloon with air and tie it off.
Rub the balloon on something like a shirt or clothing that will create static electricity.
Turn off the lights or go to a very dark area.
Hold the balloon above a CFL lightbulb while moving the balloon up and down just above the balloon.
Watch in amazement as the light bulb begins to flicker and briefly light up!

Step 1: Air up a Large Balloon

This step is super simple, but you do want to use a fairly large balloon for the best results in this light bulb balloon experiment. Once you blow enough of your hot air into your balloon you can tie it off and get ready for the next step.

Step 2: Create Some Static by Rubbing the Balloon on Your Head or Clothes

Grab your newly filled up balloon and begin rubbing it on your hair quickly! If you are like me and prefer to not mess up your hair, then you can also rub the balloon on your shoulder, or even your pant leg to create enough static electricity.

Create static by rubbing a balloon on your head

Rub the balloon for about 10 seconds or until you can start to feel the static building up. One thing that you do want to use caution with is not to rub the balloon across your chest if you have a pacemaker as it could create problems.

Step 3: Make Sure You are in a Dark Location

If you are doing this light bulb balloon experiment in the daytime, you might want to do it in a bathroom or laundry room that does not have windows. The darker you can get the room to be, the easier it will be to see your light bulb flicker when the balloon is placed over it.

Whatever the case may be just make sure to close those blinds, turn off the lights, and make it as dark as you can so that you can see the magic happen before your eyes!

Step 4: Hold the Balloon Above the Light Bulb

Use one hand to hold the CFL lightbulb upright and use your other hand to hold your static-filled balloon about an inch above the lightbulb.

You do want to be careful not to touch the balloon to the lightbulb because this will discharge all the static you worked hard to create and you will have to start at step 2 again.

While holding the light bulb steady and keeping the balloon just above, but not touching the light bulb, go ahead and move the balloon up and down and side to side above the light bulb.

Step 5: Enjoy Watching the Light Bulb Flicker and Glow

As long as you have done steps 1-4 correctly, and you are using a good CFL (fluorescent) bulb that is not burned out, then you should see something pretty cool happening before your eyes!

Your light bulb should be energized enough by the balloon’s static electricity that the light bulb will start to flicker and briefly light up the dark room you are in.

Just how bright your bulb will be able to get from the balloon’s power will depend on the wattage and quality of your light bulb, but you should be able to catch a few quick flickers of light at the very least!

How a Light Bulb Works Simple Explanation

There are two common types of light bulbs depending on the method they use to provide the light that we all count on them for. One type of light bulb is called an incandescent light bulb. Incandescent light bulbs use electricity to heat up a small wire, called a filament.

Incandescent Light Bulb:

The filament in an incandescent light gets hot enough that it glows and produces the light we see in a light bulb. This type of bulb will not work with the static electricity of a balloon in our light bulb balloon experiment because it takes way more energy than the balloon can produce.

Although this light bulb balloon experiment does not produce enough energy to light up an incandescent bulb, there is a different type of bulb that requires much less electrical energy and will light up from the static electricity of the balloon!

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb (CFL):

This other common type of household light bulb is a fluorescent, often referred to as a CFL bulb. These bulbs use a different technology to create light by using electricity to energize gas inside the bulb to create light.

These CFL (fluorescent) bulbs have low-pressure gas atoms inside of them that contain electrically charged particles called electrons. When high voltage electricity begins flowing through this gas inside the bulb it begins to strip the electrons from the atoms.

The result of the electrons being stripped from the gas atoms in the bulb is a chemical reaction that produces ultraviolet light. Now this ultraviolet light is actually not visible to our human eyes, but the glass tube of the light bulb is coated in a powder that glows when it is exposed to ultraviolet light.

The glowing tube of the CFL bulb is due to this fascinating reaction between the electricity flowing through the low-pressure gas inside the bulb. Check out this very informative website if you want to learn more about these types of light bulbs.

Balloon Powered Light Bulb

The beauty of a CFL bulb is that it is so energy efficient that even a static electricity filled balloon is enough to light it up…for a second or two at least!

The balloon that has been rubbed on your hair or clothing has collected electrical charges that we refer to as static electricity. When you move the balloon close to the CFL lightbulb the static electricity of the balloon begins to interact with the electrons inside and the light bulb illuminates!

More Balloon Science Experiments:

Egg In a Bottle Experiment
Baking Soda and Vinegar Balloon Experiment
Glowing Egg Experiment

MORE ABOUT PLAYING WITH RAIN

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All content on this blog was created for inspiration and entertainment purposes. Creating anything with the suggested tools, products or methods, is under your own risk!

Color and Light Experiments with a Light Box

This post may contain affiliate links.

Did you see my post a while back about color mixing with light ? Well we did some more color and light experiments by making a light box. This was a really awesome way to learn all about reflection and refraction of light as well as colors. I can’t wait to show it all to you!

Light and color experiments with a light box - STEM Ed

How to Make a Light Box:

There are a few supplies you will need for this project.

Shoebox Colored Cellophane Prisms Mirrors Popsicle Sticks Light Bulb and portable cord to attach it

How to To Make the Light Box:

To make the light box, I started by covering my box in black paper just to look better, it is definitely not necessary.

At one end, you need to cut a hole in the box that will fit the light bulb and cord. The bulb will be inside the box, so you will want there to be enough space so it is not touching any sides of the box. This could start a fire!

Cut a square out of the other side of the box to fit your colored slides.

How To Make the Colored Slides:

I used popsicle sticks, tape and colored cellophane for this. For the solid colored ones, you just make a frame with the sticks and some glue. We used school glue, but hot glue would be quicker.

Let the sticks dry and then tape on the cellophane. Glue does not hold the cellophane on.

We tried an orange and a purple one by doing double layers, but you could easily mix colors by placing two frames together.

colored-filters-for-light-box-experiments

For the multicolored frame, you will need to make the square frame then add additional popsicle sticks going through the center. Then tape the separate colors to each section. I did it with red blue and green.

I also made a pinhole frame and one with a small slit in the center. These were done with black construction paper so only a small section of light can come through. It helps pinpoint light to specific places.

Color and Light Experiments with the Light Box:

Now comes the fun part! Try experimenting with prisms, different colors of light and mirrors. Find a dark place to do this so it will work better. I laid out a white sheet so we could really see the color and light well.

For this image below we used the slide with a small slit in the center and a prism. We could direct the light by turning the prism. Add in some mirrors to reflect the light different ways, too. You will need a few hands involved!

For this one, we used the three-colored slide and three prisms. It was so cool to see the colored light divide out. My kids were fascinated by this one!

We loved the multi-colored slide a lot!

As you can see that seems to be what we played with the most!

We were having way too much fun with the color and light experiments! You have got to try it out!

More Color and Light Experiments:

Try C olor Mixing with Light

See our Color Mixing with Play Dough !

Rainbow Color Mixing In Bubble Wrap

Shadow Drawing: Make a Human Sundial

Former school teacher turned homeschool mom of 4 kids. Loves creating awesome hands-on creative learning ideas to make learning engaging and memorable for all kids!

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10 comments.

Can I use a normal mirror for the experiment? I could not find any prisms in my country 🙁

You can use mirrors, but they won’t bend the light in the same was as a prism. It can still be fun, though!

Thank u for the reply

What is the conclusion? I need it for the science project.

what is the conclusion of this experiment?

how do you make the box?

It is just a cardboard box covered in black paper.

What does this teach the children? What are we trying to get them to understand?

I don’t have colored cellophane. Will Tissue Paper work?

I think it would! It’s worth a try.

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Experimenting with Our Electricity Kit

A lesson on electricity… with elmo.

Even babies understand the difference between ON and OFF. After mastering peek-a-boo, turning a switch on and off is one of a toddler’s favorite games. What will happen if I press here? Where did that light come from? Who made that noise? Something nearly always happens when a button is pushed, and it leaves children wanting to know more. At least that’s how it went in my house. My son wasn’t satisfied squeezing Tickle Me Elmo’s belly to hear the little guy giggle. He soon figured out how to switch Elmo on-off-on-off so rapidly that the poor fuzzball appeared to have a bad case of the hiccups.

Aside from Elmo, plenty of other things can be turned ON or OFF. Your kitchen faucet, for instance. Turn it ON and the water moves through the pipes inside your walls until it flows out the faucet and into your glass… or perhaps down the drain.

So you fill your glass, quench your thirst and turn the faucet OFF. Simple, right?

It would be easy for most people to think about electricity in the same way: push up on your wall light switch and—voila!—the room is illuminated. Push down and you’re in the dark. Electricity pours out when we need it and then, as in our faucet example, it’s tapped closed again.

But an electrical current doesn’t simply flow in a straight line from an energy source (like a battery) to its final target (like a lamp). How—and why—electricity works is more elegant than that.

Electricity flows in a loop called a circuit which begins and ends at the energy source. If the electrical current doesn’t travel the entire length of that loop, you’re back in the dark.

An Electricity Kit for All Seasons

The key is the D Cell battery holders (and of course, the batteries themselves). This electricity kit comes with eight of these beauties. One holder may not seem like much on its own, but once you start connecting them… you’re ready to shine a light on a memorable lesson in electricity.

The trick is in HOW you connect them. Distribute a few cases to students and invite them to examine the components. Make sure they recognize that all the cases are identical.

Ask several students to hook up two or more plastic cases. Some will click them together side-by-side; others will line them up end-to-end.

Now bring out the jumper wires. (The electricity kit comes with 4 apiece, red and black. Although it doesn’t matter for the purposes of your demonstration, it’s wise to remind students that black usually represents NEGATIVE and red usually represents POSITIVE .)

Use the red and black jumper wires to connect each pair of battery cases to its own light bulb screwed into a Fahnestock clip.

Your students will easily notice that one bulb is burning much brighter than the other. And, like the 3-year-old with her finger on the ON / OFF button, they will want to know why this happened.

Before you can get to that answer, you’ll need to explain some basic terms. Let’s start with the two different ways the battery holders have been configured. When the battery holders are connected side-by-side, they are PARALLEL . When they are connected end-to-end (kind of like a string of holiday lights), they are in a SERIES .

A Few Basic Terms…

When we talk about electricity, we typically talk about three things: watts, voltage and amperage. These are universal units. Each one measures something different.

Watts are a basic measure of power.

Voltage is the standard unit of electromotive force. You can think of it literally as a pushing force. The higher the voltage, the harder the electricity is being pushed through the circuit.

Amperage is the equivalent of volume. When you think about how much amperage is available, you are basically asking, How big is your “container” full of electricity?

Other key words you’ll need to introduce to your students:

Circuit: Electricity flows in a loop called a circuit which begins and ends at the battery pack.

Load: Any device that consumes the energy flowing through a circuit and converts that energy into work is called a load . A light bulb is an example of a load; it consumes the electricity from a circuit and converts it into work (in the form of heat and light).

Okay. So why did the light bulb shine more brightly in the series circuit than it did in the parallel circuit?

Because two batteries in series offer twice as much voltage to the bulb as compared to a single battery. The amperage is the same but the voltage is doubled. Remind students that voltage is a pushing force. Twice as much voltage means we are pushing electricity through the bulb twice as hard. The result? The light bulb will shine twice as brightly—but it will only burn for the same amount of time as a single battery.

At least one of your students is bound to point out that the parallel circuit also relied on two batteries. What gives?

In parallel circuits, the voltage doesn’t change. You could add 10 batteries… 100 batteries… and the light from the bulb wouldn’t get any brighter. When you add batteries in a parallel circuit, you are essentially (to use our volume analogy) increasing the size of your “tank.” You are increasing your amperage, not the voltage. So with two batteries hooked up in a parallel circuit, the light bulb will burn twice as long—but it will not be twice as bright.

So much great learning will take place after you lay down the basic framework and allow your students to “play” with this electricity kit on their own. After all, the best discoveries are often made by accident. There’s also an eight-page lesson (in PDF format) on our website if you’re looking for even more ways to create an assortment of series and parallel circuits.

Educational Innovation ’s Light Bulb Experiment Kit contains all the elements you’ll need for a well-rounded, hands-on lesson in the basics of electricity. There are dozens of ways these components can be combined! Remind your students not to be discouraged by “failed” attempts when the circuit did not loop back to the power source. In science, as in life, learning happens at even the most unexpected moments.

Just ask Elmo.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 8th, 2015 at 8:50 pm and is filed under College level , electricity , Elementary level , energy , experiments , High School level , Middle School level . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site.

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Final Winners of Historically Black Colleges and Universities Clean Energy Education Prize’s Inspire Track Announced

Hbcus awarded for efforts to foster next generation of clean energy leaders.

Three images of a kid playing with a stem toy, a graduate hugging someone, and a worker looking at a tablet with solar panels in the background

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the final winners of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Clean Energy Education Prize in the Inspire Track .

DOE launched the HBCU Clean Energy Education Prize through the American-Made program to address the growing need for a robust and diverse clean energy workforce. Through two tracks, the prize awards nearly $8 million to HBCUs to help prepare the next generation of clean energy leaders.

The Inspire Track challenged HBCUs to develop clean-energy-focused academic-break programs for K–12 and community college students. The goal of these programs is to provide early exposure to clean energy topics and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills and to build connections between HBCUs and public education institutions in their communities. Ten HBCUs were selected for their notable programming and student impact.

"We congratulate the final winners of the Inspire Track for their commitment to expanding access to STEM education for young students of all backgrounds," said Terrence Mosley, senior advisor for diversity in STEM at DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "Thanks to the hard work of the HBCUs, students from underserved communities are leaving these camps with knowledge and skills they may not have had access to otherwise."

A Summer of STEM

The 10 winners were each awarded $10,000, in addition to the $40,000 awarded in Phase 1 of the prize, and have used the prize awards to host their programs throughout the summer. These programs implemented diverse curricula and activities on a wide range of clean energy topics, including various technologies, societal impacts, and environmental concepts.

Albany State University Solar Energy Summer Camp—A Step Towards a Green Sustainable Society : This two-week clean energy summer program introduced 9th–12th graders to solar energy technology. The camp led interactive solar-based projects, including assembling solar modules and testing performance on electric fans, lightbulbs, model cars, and phone chargers.

Clark Atlanta University Introductory Battery Technology Summer Enrichment Program : The university partnered with NanoResearch Inc. to host a four-week summer enrichment program offering hands-on activities in battery technology to rising 11th graders. Students built electrochemical cells and measured voltage and current. They also designed and constructed a functional battery prototype for an LED light bulb.

Florida A&M University EmpowerEd : The university partnered with Stanford Building Decarbonization Learning Accelerator to offer a weeklong summer camp to teach middle school and high school students about reducing emissions in buildings. Students learned theoretical concepts and practical application of low-carbon materials, solar energy, robotics, and more.

Morris Brown College Future Ready Clean Energy Program : This program introduced high schoolers to diverse clean energy topics over the span of eight weeks. Students engaged in activities around environmental justice, interdisciplinary learning, climate change education, conservation and restoration, drone technology, and fieldwork data and analysis.

Paul Quinn College Energized for Change : This weeklong program introduced students from pre-K to 9th grade to the intersection between clean energy and climate justice. The program hosted classroom and hands-on sessions to help students understand the real-life impacts of climate change and identify skills to address them.

Southern University and A&M College Energizing Minds through Advanced Clean Energy Education (EMACE)-Inspires Program : This weeklong program is an expansion of the university’s Summer Science and Engineering Institute (SSEI) program. The program provided 6th–11th graders educational activities that investigate multifunctional composite materials and manufacturing in support of sustainable bioenergy, wind energy, solar energy, carbon capture, and decarbonization efforts.

Tennessee State University Energy Exploration Camp : This two-week summer enrichment program introduced rising 11th and 12th graders to clean energy technology areas, including bioenergy, buildings, geothermal, hydrogen and fuel cells, industrial efficiency and decarbonization, advanced materials and manufacturing technologies, solar, vehicles, water, and wind. Students built knowledge in these areas through interactive presentations, activities, and site visits.

Tuskegee University Mentoring into Clean Energy Program : This weeklong program connected 8th–11th graders to clean energy topics through interactive discussions, hands-on building and testing of clean energy projects, guest speakers, and a visit to a hydropower plant.

University of Maryland Eastern Shore Clean Energy Youth Development Bridge Program : This two-week summer bridge program is a remediation program designed to strengthen the math and science background of 8th, 9th, and 10th graders. Students participated in hands-on lab experiments and model building, exposing them to traditional and clean energy science, engineering, and operational systems combined with parental/family engagement.

Xavier University of Louisiana Program for K–12 Initiation to Clean Energy : This two-week program gave 8th–12th graders an introduction to clean energy, programming, electronics, and materials through lectures, activities, and interactions with industry professionals. The program focused on motivating interest in and progress toward advanced STEM studies and clean energy career development.

Many of these programs focused on recruiting minority students—opening the door to populations historically underrepresented in STEM and clean energy professions. Overall, the common goal of the camps was to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully pursue a career in clean energy.

Continuing Clean Energy Education

As the Inspire Track draws to a close, competitors await the results of the Partnerships Track Phase 2, which concluded earlier this summer. The Partnerships Track challenges HBCUs to create partnerships with government agencies, industry leaders, and other universities aimed at long-term educational program growth and support for undergraduate and graduate students.

10 HBCUs were selected as winners for Phase 1 this past winter and were awarded $100,000 each. The winners of Phase 2 will split a total prize pool of up to $4,000,000 and will move on to compete in the final phase, where up to three final winners will split a total prize pool of up to $1,750,000.

"The HBCU Clean Energy Education Prize tracks are working hand in hand to inspire and encourage students of all ages to pursue clean energy careers,” Mosley said. “We hope that the HBCUs continue the programming made possible through this prize to support even more students through their educational journey in the years to come.”

Subscribe to the American-Made newsletter for updates on the latest prizes and competitions.

Home and Garden | Garden Mastery: How to grow garlic, onions,…

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Home and garden | garden mastery: how to grow garlic, onions, leeks and chives — the allium genus, cool-season plants are aromatic powerhouses in the kitchen.

For The San Diego Union-Tribune

Like humans who have similar traits to our relatives, so does the plant genus, Allium, part of the Amaryllidaceae family. The Allium genus is made up of edibles (onion, garlic, leeks, chives) and ornamentals (ornamental onions), which have different appearances, uses and growing conditions but have similar traits.

Plants in the Allium genus are monocots (plants whose seeds have only one cotyledon, or seed leaf), with long thin leaves, spherical flower clusters called “racemes,” and that store nourishment in a swollen underground bulb. The Allium genus is native to Central Asia and their characteristic flavor comes from the enzyme alliinase. Each plant has a distinctive onionlike aroma.

Growing each of the Allium edible genus plants is different, yet similar. All edible plants in the Allium genus are cool-season vegetables that prefer to be planted in loose, well-draining soil. Allow enough space between plants for air circulation to reduce fungal pathogens.

Garlic head showing the cloves. In San Diego, plant clovesin the fall for spring harvest. (Mike Kenneally / Unsplash.com)

Garlic is best planted from cloves, not seed. There are two types of garlic: Softneck (Allium sativum sativum) and Hardneck (Allium sativum ophioscorodon). Softneck is the primary type of garlic grown commercially in California. It is propagated from garlic cloves that can be planted beginning in October through November in San Diego County. This type of garlic does not bolt and can be stored for a longer length of time. Hardneck garlic is distinguished by a rigid stalk called a “scape.” It grows best in colder climates and produces smaller cloves.

Both types of garlic are dependent on “day length,” i.e., the number of hours of light in a day, for bulb formation. Bulb creation begins in spring as the daylight increases. Planting garlic cloves in the fall enables the plant to grow a strong root system, which drives growth of many leaves in the spring, which results in a larger bulb.

Onions (Allium cepa) can be started from seed, sets or transplants. Like garlic, onion development is dependent upon day length. Unlike garlic, they are biennial, taking up to two years to form an edible bulb. In San Diego, select short-day varieties that require 12 to 14 hours of daily sun. The long-day varieties that require 14 to 16 hours of daily sun may result in leaf growth but no bulb development.

Plant short-day varieties of onions inland from October to December; at the coast, plant between October and November. Intermediate-day varieties are also an option for San Diego, and those seeds and transplants do best if planted between February and mid-March.

The flower of the Allium genus is called a 'racemes' and is identified by a spherical group of flowers equidistant from the center on a long stem. (Jodi Bay)

A cousin to the onion is the shallot (Allium cepa gr. Aggregatum). Growing conditions are similar to onions. Shallots grow in clusters, so separate into individual bulbs when planting.

Harvest garlic, onion and shallots when the tops bend to the ground and become dry. All need curing (drying) after harvesting. Tie with a string and hang in a dry warm (70 degree to 75 degree) room with good air circulation for a minimum of two weeks. Additionally, garlic and onions can be affected by a number of pest and pathogens. Refer to bit.ly/PestControlOnionGarlic for information on specific pests.

Leeks (Allium ampelotrasum) are another biennial member of the Allium genus. Unlike onions and garlic, the stem (actually bundled leaf sheaths) is the edible part. Leeks can be grown from seed or transplants and do well with a spring planting for early varieties and a fall planting for late varieties.

An important consideration for successfully growing leeks is location and blanching. Leeks grow better in a sunny location in loose soil. Blanching is a method of covering the white “stem” of the plant with soil as it grows. This is called “hilling.” To keep it edible, continue to cover the stem as it grows to ensure that the white part is not exposed to the sun thereby.

Leeks need cold weather to thrive. Verify if the leek variety is an early maturing (plant in January or February, harvest in spring) or late maturing (plant in August, harvest in winter) variety.

Fungal diseases such as downy mildew and purple blotch can affect leeks in wet weather. Space leeks at least six inches apart to ensure adequate air flow. Thrips are a potential leek pest that will feed by sucking fluids out of the plant. Spinosad, an organic insecticide, can help to control thrips.

Chives are an herb used in cooking and part of the Allium genus. (Jodi Bay)

A completely different member of the Allium genus are chives (Allium schoenoprasum). Chives are an herb with an onion flavor and are grown for their edible leaves and flowers. The leaves grow from an underground bulb and can be started from seed, transplants or cuttings. They grow well in containers or in a garden border. Keep in full sun and plant in well-draining soil. Harvest as needed when leaves are 6 inches tall to use in salads, soups and other dishes.

Aphids are the main pest for chives. Use a strong stream of water to remove aphids, hand-pick or remove infected leaves.

Add some flavor and aroma to your garden and meals by planting members of the Allium genus.

Bay has been a Master Gardener since 2012. She is past chair of the tool care committee, and an instructor in the Beginning Vegetable Gardening workshops, which teach new gardeners how to grow healthy and bountiful vegetables.

Get free gardening advice

Master Gardener Hotline:

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Email: [email protected]

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Electricity Experiments for Kids

COMMENTS

Simple Light Bulb Experiment
Teach students about electricity for kids with this simple and amazing light bulb experiment!This light bulb science project only requires a couple simple materials and you can make an incandescent light bulb just like Thomas Edison did! This electricity experiments for kids is fun for kids of all ages from kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, 7th ...
Make a Light Bulb
3. Place the lid (with the filament and wires attached) in the jar and carefully connect the free ends of the copper wire to the terminals on the 6-volt battery. Once both ends are connected to the battery, the current should start flowing, causing the filament to heat up and give off a bright orange glow. Your homemade light bulb is working!
3 Super Simple Light Experiments for Kids to Do
This simple light science experiment introduces three new ones: penetrate: or when light will pass through an object to be visible on the other side. reflect: or when the light bounces back at you, like with a mirror or something shiny. stop: or when the light is blocked, not reflecting or penetrating. variable: what changes in different steps ...
Potato Light Bulb Experiment for Kids (All You Need to Know!)
Procedure. Start by inserting a 3-inch piece of copper wire about half-way into each of your potatoes (use 2, 3, or more potatoes if you'd really like to ramp up the voltage and brightness of the light bulb). Next, insert an iron-galvanized nail half-way into each of your potatoes. For best results, try to insert the nails about an inch away ...
Balloon Powered Lightbulb Science Experiment
In this fun and easy science experiment, we're going to show you how to use a balloon to power a lightbulb. Materials: Balloon CFL lightbulb A dark room Instructions: Blow up the balloon and tie off the end. Move into the darkened space. Wait a few minutes for your eyes to adjust. Rub the balloon against your hair numerous times. Hold the balloon by the tied end with one hand so that the top ...
Potato Light Bulb Experiment for Kids
Making a Potato Battery. Put a 3-inch copper nail and a 3-inch zinc nail into the potato about 1 inch apart from each other. Push the nails to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches. Cut two 6-inch strips of very thin wire and remove 1/2 inch of plastic from the ends of the wire strips. Wrap one of the ends of each wire strip around the top of each nail.
Build a Light Bulb
When you are conducting experiments and demonstrations using electricity, you'll use the science of circuits. Amazing things are possible with circuits including alarms, radios, and lights. In the Build a Light Bulb experiment, you'll use household items to construct a complete circuit that results in a homemade light bulb.
Potato Light Bulb Experiment
This potato light bulb experiment is a simple way to demonstrates how a chemical reaction can produce electricity. Your circuit is made up of a potato which acts as an electrolyte, a substance that contains free ions and conducts electricity. Copper wire (or a coin) and a galvanized nail (zinc-coated) are used as electrodes. Alligator clips are ...
How to make a light bulb Experiment (homemade light bulb)
How to make a light bulb Experiment (homemade light bulb)Made for parents and teachers Science Kits and morehttps://elementarysciencen.wixsite.com/sciencekit...
DIY Lightbulb Electricity Experiments for Kids
This light bulb science project only requires a couple simple materials and you can make an incandescent light bulb just like Thomas Edison did! This electricity experiments for kids is fun for kids of all ages from kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, 7th grade, and 8th graders too.
Top 15 Light Related Science Experiments
3. Light Refraction. Cool Light Refraction Science Experiment. Watch on. By engaging in these experiments, students will not only witness the mesmerizing effects of light refraction but also gain a deeper understanding of the scientific principles behind it. 4. Newton's Light Spectrum Experiment.
Make a circuit with a switch and a light
Wire stripper. single-pole switch. incandescent light bulb. battery. EXPERIMENT STEPS. Step 1: Cut the insulated wire in 3 equal size pieces. Step 2: Strip 1/2" of insulation off the end of each wire. Step 3: Attach both ends of the loose wire to the battery holder. Connect one side to the positive (+) side and the other side to the negative ...
Potato Light Bulb Experiment for Kids (Tinkering with Tink)
Push a nail into the potato with the coin in it and wrap the end of a piece of wire around the top of the nail. Insert a coin and the end of one piece of copper wire into the potato that has no coin in it. Connect the two loose ends of the wires to the light bulb and watch it light up!
Magic Light Bulb Balloon Science Experiment
Rub the top of the balloon back and forth on your hair several times to make some static electricity. Point the light bulb towards the top of the balloon, holding the bulb close to the place where you rubbed the balloon. Move the balloon back and forth quickly over the light bulb. Don't touch the balloon to the bulb.
Charge a Light Bulb Experiment
Procedures. Go to a dark room and bring all the materials with you - the light bulb, the comb and the scarf. Rub the comb thoroughly against the woollen scarf for 5 to 10 minutes. If you do not have a woollen scarf around, you may just run the comb through your hair in at least 30 strokes to achieve the same effect.
Heat from the light bulb
Put the thermometer under the light of the lamp and measure the distance from the bulb. Make sure the lamp is unplugged and screw in the smallest wattage light bulb. 5. Measure the temperature and write down the start temperature. Angle lamp over thermometer and turn on lamp.
Important Facts About Thomas Edison & the Invention of the Light Bulb
Thomas Edison and his lab associates, called "Muckers," conducted thousands of experiments to develop the electric light bulb. To make it functional, each step required the invention of a new component, from vacuumed and sealed glass bulbs to switches, special types of wire and meters. ... and filed his first light bulb patent on January 27 ...
Power a Light with Static Electricity
EXPERIMENT STEPS. Step 1: Blow up a balloon and tie off the end. Step 2: Rub the balloon vigorously against the hair on your head. Step 3: Go into a dark room. Step 4: Touch the balloon against the two metal electrode prongs on the bottom of the fluorescent light bulb. Step 5: Watch what happens when the static electricity discharges from the ...
Milk and the Light Bulb
The dish soap, when added to the milk, disrupts the surface tension of the liquid. This causes the fat molecules in the milk to move, creating a swirling motion that carries the food coloring along with it, resulting in the mesmerizing patterns we observed. However, the claim that the lightbulb would light up was where the experiment fell short ...
Light Bulb Balloon Experiment
Step 3: Make Sure You are in a Dark Location. If you are doing this light bulb balloon experiment in the daytime, you might want to do it in a bathroom or laundry room that does not have windows. The darker you can get the room to be, the easier it will be to see your light bulb flicker when the balloon is placed over it.
PDF Light Bulb Lesson Title: How A Light Bulb Works Lab
ed slide the coiled wire off thePrepar. ng the BaseFlatten a piece of clay like a pancake.Make two cones u. nails can stand up in the clay.Setting Up the BulbStick the two nails in the. ay cones slanting them slightly toward the middle. ttach the Nichrome Wire filament to the two nails.Attach.
Color and Light Experiments with a Light Box
Color and Light Experiments with the Light Box: Now comes the fun part! Try experimenting with prisms, different colors of light and mirrors. Find a dark place to do this so it will work better. I laid out a white sheet so we could really see the color and light well. For this image below we used the slide with a small slit in the center and a ...
Experimenting With Our Electricity Kit
An Electricity Kit for All Seasons. Educational Innovations' Light Bulb Experiment Kit offers teachers a remarkably easy way for students to understand the circuit concept and quickly move into dozens of experiments on parallel, series and combination circuits. My favorite part of the kit is that you can test so many unique variations with a ...
Final Winners of Historically Black Colleges and Universities Clean
They also designed and constructed a functional battery prototype for an LED light bulb. ... and 10th graders. Students participated in hands-on lab experiments and model building, exposing them to traditional and clean energy science, engineering, and operational systems combined with parental/family engagement. ...
Garden Mastery: How to grow garlic, onions, leeks and chives
Shallots grow in clusters, so separate into individual bulbs when planting. Harvest garlic, onion and shallots when the tops bend to the ground and become dry. All need curing (drying) after ...

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3 Super Simple Light Experiments for Kids to Do

3 Super Simple Light Experiments for Kids

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Potato Light Bulb Experiment

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Top 15 Light Related Science Experiments

1. Potato Light Bulb

2. Bending Light

3. Light Refraction

4. Newton’s Light Spectrum Experiment

5. Newton’s Prism Experiment

6. Total Internal Reflection

7. Colored Light Experiments

8. Capture a Light Wave

9. Home-made Kaleidescope

10. Push Things with Light

11. Erase Light with a Laser: The Photon Experiment

12. Exploring Shapes and Patterns on a Mirror Box

13. Electromagnetic Spectrum Experiment

14. Light Patterns in a Box

15. Light Maze

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