ENERGY LIGHT BULB USING POTATO

A Research Paper (IMRAD Format)

Presented to
Pagadian City National Comprehensive High School
Banale, Pagadian City

In Partial Fulfilment of the

Requirements for the
Grade 9 Research
STEM Class

Busio, Sherrymae A.
Lastimado, Evann T.
Lihaylihay, Nheziel D.
Gemino, Jonalyn S.
Plame, Christian Lloyd L.
Ubpon, Sitte Nadia E.

March 2019
 ABSTARCT

Batteries generate electricity through a chemical reaction between two different electrodes and
one electrolyte. Use of Copper, magnet and Sulfuric acid as electrolyte was proven method for this
process. After all a fresh potato has a lot of juice that may serve a way to light a light bulb. This
study was actually a great experiment about making electricity from a potato to illuminate a light
bulb.
The results that obtained in this study were the outcome of energizing light bulb using potato
in all trial runs in which there are 3 failures that were obtained before it succeed, it is because in
the given material, that were not complete and some of the materials were damaged. The
observation of the respondents on energizing light bulb using potato in terms of brightness were
most of the respondents strongly agree that the brightness of the light bulb can help in emergencies
and also the brightness of the light bulb can help work efficiently at night.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
TITLE PAGE …………………………………………………………………………….... i
APPROVAL SHEET ……………………………………………………………………… ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ………………………………………………………………… iii
ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………………………. v
TABLE OF CONTENTS …………………………………………………………………. vi
LIST OF TABLES ………………………………………………………………………... vii
LIST OF FIGURE ………………………………………………………………………... ix
LIST OF APPENDICES ………………………………………………………………….. x
1. INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………………… 1
1.1. Definition of Terms …………………………………………………………………... 3
2. METHODOLOGY ……………………………………………………………………... 4
3. RESULT AND DISCUSSION ………………………………………………………… 5
3.1 Figure of processing the potato battery…………………………………………………. 5
3.2. Table of the outcome of the study .……………………………………………….….... 6
3.3 Perception of the Respondents ……………………………………………………….. 7
4. CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………………………... 8
5. REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………….... 9
6. APPENDICES ………………………………………………………………………... 10
6.1 Letter of request to the principal ……………………………………………………... 10
6.2 Survey Questionnaire ………………………………………………………………… 11
6.3 Documentation ……………………………………………………………………….. 12
7 CURRICULUM VITAE ………………………………………………………………. 13
 LIST OF TABLES

TABLE DESCRIPTION PAGE

1 Outcome of Energizing Light Bulb using Potato 6

in terms of Failure and Success In All Trial Runs

2 Mean Value of the Responses with regards to the 7

Observation on Energy light Bulb using Potato
In terms of Brightness
 LIST OF FIGURE

TABLE DESCRIPTION PAGE

1 Figure of processing the potato battery 5

 LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDIX DESCRIPTION PAGE

A Letter of request to the principal 10

B Survey Questionnaire 11

C Documentation 12
 INTRODUCTION

Energy, cannot be created nor destroy. It is an element that is so essential in life that it is needed

as people continuously live on earth. Due to the on-going evolution of man’s mind and

imagination, it advance level by level in using different materials around to improvise a better way

to live (Militante,2010).

Many people know that potatoes are only available in foods like potato chips, french fries, hot

potatoes and one of the ingredients of some familiar dishes but most of the people didn’t know

that potato can also power up a light bulb. For the past few years, (Rabinowitch, 2008) and

colleagues have been pushing the idea of “potato power” to deliver energy to people cut off from

electricity grids. Hook up a spud to a couple of cheap metal plates, wires and light bulbs,

researchers argue, and it could provide lighting to remote towns and villages around the word

(Kalan, 2013).

It also discovered a simple but ingenious trick to make potatoes particularly good at producing

energy. “A single potato can power enough light bulb for a room for 40 days,” claims Rabinowitch,

who is based at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. While, researcher Rabinowitch and team

have found a way to make potatoes produce more power than usual, the basic principles were

taught in high school science classes, to demonstrate how batteries work (Kalan, 2013).

“Potatoes were chosen because of their availability all over including the tropics and sub-

tropics, Rabinowitch told the Science and Development Network. They are the world’s fourth most

abundant food crop. The potato simply help conduct electricity by acting as what’s called a salt-

bridge between the two metals, allowing the electron current to move freely across the copper wire
to create electricity. Numerous fruits rich in electrolytes like bananas and strawberries can also

form this chemical reaction (Grigson, 2011).

With a potato, magnet, light bulb, and copper wire, it can create an alternative for making a

potato light bulb since there’s no other chemical that used to create which harms the society’s

health and environment. The researcher would hope that this research would be a feasible and

reliable topic to help reduce pollution and usage of daily foods to be boosted.

The main purpose of this experiment is to design a power source where in people would be able

to access electricity despite the absence of a battery. With that the researchers created a power

source that would be able to provide an environmental friendly energy and provide alternative use

for potato such as a battery.

The purpose of this study is to provide information to prove to the society that there are more

options for powering up a light bulb that would require to do a little science experiment at home.

Also to back up proofs and theories of using vegetables and fruits as source of energy. It will

provide farmers better economics structures that would help them in their livelihood as well as in

helping circulate products in the industry. The researchers believe that; if a potato has a lot juice

that will be used to power up a light bulb, then the power of the light bulb will last longer.

This research mainly covers in testing a simple light bulb to produce light from the potato.

Therefore, the study is answerable by these following questions; What is the process of energizing

light bulb using potato? What are the possible materials that would create the process of energizing

light bulb using potato? What is the outcome of energizing light bulb using potato in all trials runs?

What are the reasons behind the success and failures of energizing light bulb using potato? What

is the observation of the respondents on energizing light bulb using potato in terms of brightness?
Definition of Terms

Alternative- of one or more things available as another possibility. (https://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/alternative)

Electrolytes- are minerals in your body that have an electric charge.

(https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/electrolytes)

Electron- a stable subatomic particle with a charge of negative electricity, found in all atoms and

acting as the primary carrier of electricity in solids.

(https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/electron)

Element- A substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means.

An element is composed of atoms that have the same atomic number, that is, each atom has the

same number of protons in its nucleus as all other atoms of that element.

(https://www.dictionary.com/browse/element)

Evolution- is the process of heritable change in populations of organisms over multiple

generations. (https://www.nature.com/subjects/evolution)

Feasible- possible to do easily or conveniently.

(https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/feasible)

Ingenious- having or showing an unusual aptitude for discovering, inventing, or contriving

(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ingenious)

Potato- is a starch, tuberous crop from the perennial nightshade Solanum tuberosum.

(https://www.britannica.com/plant/potato)

Validate- check or prove the validity or accuracy of (something).

(https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/validate)
Viable- capable of working, functioning, or developing adequately.

(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/viable)
 METHODOLOGY

The researchers used the experimental method to work on showing potato as viable source of

energy. This study used experimental method because it investigates in which there’s a hypothesis

that scientifically tested. This study would tests on different samples so that it can get an accurate

research result. The type of experimental research design that was used and fitted in this study was

the “single group design” since the study was a group of subjects that were administered a

treatment, measured and observed. The independent variable in this study was the observation in

terms of brightness. The dependent variable was the process of energizing light bulb using potato.

The data gathered was being analyzed and interpreted to determine if there were really a

probability that potato can power up a light bulb. The instrument that was used is a survey

questionnaire to get the mean value of the responses with regards to the observation on energy

light bulb using potato in terms of brightness.

The said experiment was conducted at the science laboratory in Pagadian City National

Comprehensive High School. The researchers, in order to conduct the study would need the

following materials to make such experiment: potato- main source of energy/current, magnet-

conductor of the current from the power source, copper wire- pathway of the current, and light

bulb- receiver of the current.

The procedure of this study are: First, prepare the given materials. Second, peel all the copper

wire and roll it around the magnet and left 1 inch copper wire. Third, make a hole in the middle of

the potato. Fifth, put the light bulb in the potato where there is the hole on it. And finally when the

procedures are done then the bulb will light up.

 The following are the statistical tools used in this study, namely: mean and range. Mean is the

average of the number that was used to find its weighted mean in this study. Range is the difference

between the lowest and highest values, to find range first order the data from the largest value in

the set. The range and interpretation of this study were based in following scores such as, 4.21-

5.00 interprets strongly agree, 3.41-4.20 interprets agree, 2.61-3.40 interprets moderately agree,

1.81-2.60 interprets disagree and 1.00-1.80 interprets strongly disagree.

 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter, presents, analyses and interprets data gathered from the experiment energy light

bulb using potato.

1. What is the process of energizing light bulb using potato?

2. What are the possible materials that would create the process of energizing light

bulb using potato?

Peel all the

Prepare the
copper wire Make a hole
following
and roll in the middle
materials
around the of the potato.
magnet

And finally, Put the light Stab the

after a bulb in the copper wire
minute the potato where that comes
bulb will there is the from the
light up. hole on it. magnet to
the potato

Figure 1. The Process of Energy Light Bulb using Potato

The figure shows the process of energy light bulb
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