With cell phones and other portable electronic devices that we use. we often face the problem of keeping the batteries charged. How wonderful it would be if the human body could be employed to perform the act of charging the batteries for our favorite devices? A “Human Battery” uses the human body to establish the circuit needed to produce electrical flow, wherein the strength of the current can be controlled by the resistance of body (skin) towards the electric flow.
Materials required for Human Battery Experiment
a) Aluminum Plate
b) Copper Plate
c) Micro Ammeter
d) 2 Crocodile Clips
e) 2 Blocks of Wood
f) Lead Wire
g) And of course, a human volunteer
Steps
a) Mount the aluminum and copper metal plates to two separate pieces of wood.
b) Use crocodile clip and the lead wire to hook up one plate to the one of the terminals of Micro Ammeter. Similarly, connect the second plate to the second terminal.
c) Tell your volunteer to put his hands on each plate.
Results
Once the circuit is complete, you will see an electric current generated on the attached Micro Ammeter. The sweat on the hands acts as the battery acid (electrolyte), creating a chemical reaction with the aluminum and copper plates. The hand placed on the copper plate will fetch the negatively charged electrons and deliver them to the aluminum plate, thus making the copper plate positively charged and aluminum plate negatively charged. This charge difference between the two plates generates the electric current that is shown on the connected Micro Ammeter.
Another version of this experiment is also available, wherein a volunteer places wet hands on each plate. The current produced with wet hands is more than with the dry hands. When hands are wet, the resistance is weaker, and so the current generated is stronger, and when the hands are dry, resistance is stronger and the current generated is weaker.
Related Articles:
