Electric Energy Drinks

Introduction:

Many Americans drink energy drinks for a quick burst of energy when they’re feeling tired. The next time you’re craving a can of this liquid fuel, remember that the same drink holds enough energy to power a battery! By transferring electrons between two electrodes, they can actually create electrical currents.

Materials:

• Energy drinks in different flavors and brands
• Water
• Jar
• Copper wire with insulation removed
• Zinc nail
• Voltmeter (find them at any hardware store)
• Sandpaper
• Journal

Experimental Procedure:

1. Create a chart in your journal with the ingredients of each energy drink, noting any major differences.
2. Fill the jar with water, and then clip one lead of the voltmeter to the wire and the other lead to the nail.
3. Stick both the wire and nail into the jar, making sure they don’t touch.
4. Record the reading on the voltmeter.
5. Dump out the water, clean the jar and lightly sand and clean the wire and nail.
6. Repeat steps 2 to 4 with each different energy drinks, and record your observations in your journal.
7. Now it’s time to analyze your data. Which energy drink was the most electrically charged? Does there appear to be an ingredient that makes some drinks measure higher in charge than others? Could they affect humans?