GarretBrackenAnnice


 * __Making a Better Battery   [[image:Picture_029.jpg width="419" height="280"]]  [[image:Picture_040.jpg width="195" height="282"]]      __ **

Abstract:
For our experiment, we were trying to find the voltage and current for iron sulfate, normal salt, and copper sulfate. For each salt, we made the concentration 10 g/L, then went down by ten each time making the concentrations 1 g/L, .1 g/L, .01 g/L, and .001 g/L. We were then able to find the difference of voltage and currents as the concentration lowered. We discovered that the voltage for iron sulfate and normal salt didn't really change, but the voltage for copper sulfate did. The currents for each salt were all very different and varied in size by quite a lot.

Introduction:
For our experiment, we were trying to produce a better battery by experimenting with different solutions. To do this we changed one variable at a time, having a fixed variable at the same time. The changed variable was always the concentration of the solution while everything else remained the same. That way, we would be able to have clear results on the effects of a battery when you change the concentration. We expected that when we lowered the concentration in the solutions of normal salt, iron sulfate, and copper sulfate, the voltages and currents would decrease because there would be less of the actual salt. Since the solution would be more diluted, we decided that it would make the battery have less voltage and currents.

Procedure:
1.Gather All Materials and Liquids: 2. Cut the strips of metals so they are the exact same size and shape as each other. (Scroll down for more details) 3. Cut the wood so it has two slots (Scroll down for more details) 4. Take the salts and mix with water. 1g of salt for every 100mL of water. Do it once for each salt. In total, you should have 3 regular sized beakers of solutions. (1g of Copper Sulfate + water, 1g of Iron Sulfate + water, 1g of Normal Salt + water). 5. Let the salts and water mix (Could take up to 24. hours) 6. For Mini Beaker #1 (10 g/L) you would take 10 mL out of only ONE of the beakers of salt and water mix from Step 4 and add it into Beaker #1, then add 90 mL of water. 7. For Mini Beaker #2 (1 g/L) you would take out 10 mL out of Beaker #1, then add 90 mL of water. 8. For Mini Beaker #3 (.1 g/L) you would take out 10 mL out of Beaker #2, then add 90 mL of water. 9. For Mini Beaker #4 (.01 g/L) you would take out 10 mL out of Beaker #3, then add 90 mL of water. 10. For Mini Beaker #5 (.001 g/L) you would take out 10 mL out of Beaker #4, then add 90 mL of water. 11. Repeat steps 6-10 for all the salts. (Normal salt, Copper Sulfate, Iron Sulfate) 12. After you have finished with all the salts, you should have 5 mini beakers for each salt. So in total, there should be 15. Each set of mini beakers should consist of 10 g/L, 1 g/L, .1 g/L, .01 g/L, and .001 g/L. 13. Set up the metals, wood, alligator clips, and voltage measurer as seen in the diagram below. 14. Test the voltage and currents of EACH beaker. Make a table for each salt and record all the voltage and currents for the beakers of that salt. (there should be 5). To do this, set the voltage to 2, and the currents to 20. Since the currents tend to increase and decrease in a short amount of time, record the number that appears one minute after you have started test for the current. (e.g, if the current started at 1.37 and after a minute, it stopped at .96, then .96 would be the number I record down for the current.) 15. Graph the information on an Excel Graph. To make the graphs easier to understand, you can change 10 g/L to -1, 1 g/L to -2, .1 g/L to -3, .01 g/L to -4, and .001 g/L to -5. **__Data and Results-__** IRON SULFATE:
 * Copper Sulfate
 * Iron Sulfate
 * Normal Sulfate
 * Aluminum and Copper Strips
 * Alligator Clips
 * 3 regular sized beakers
 * 15 mini beakers (all the same size)
 * Wood
 * Water
 * Amps/Voltage Measurer
 * TEST TUBE: ||  CONCENTRATION  ||  COLOR:  ||  VOLTAGE:  ||  AMPS:  ||
 * 1 ||  10 g/L  ||  Whisky  ||  .515  ||  6.88  ||
 * 2 ||  1 g/L  ||  Lemonade  ||  .504  ||  .58  ||
 * 3 ||  .1 g/L  ||  Watered-Lemonade  ||  .521  ||  .37  ||
 * 4 ||  .01 g/L  ||  Water  ||  .565  ||  .88  ||
 * 5 ||  .001 g/L  ||  Water  ||  .468  ||  .34  ||

NORMAL SALT:
 * TEST TUBE: ||  CONCENTRATION  ||  COLOR:  ||  VOLTAGE:  ||  AMPS:  ||
 * 1 ||  10 g/L  ||  Water  ||  .549  ||  .96  ||
 * 2 ||  1 g/L  ||  Water  ||  .551  ||  .98  ||
 * 3 ||  .1 g/L  ||  Foggy  ||  .508  ||  .58  ||
 * 4 ||  .01 g/L  ||  Water  ||  .473  ||  .33  ||
 * 5 ||  .001 g/L  ||  Water  ||  .476  ||  .38  ||

COPPER SULFATE: ** When we had to come up with predictions on what would happen before our experiment, I predicted that if we changed the concentration levels of the salts, then it would be able to change the voltage and currents of the battery because I learned we were able to do that from the experiment we had done before in class. I thought that if there was LESS salt inside the solution, then the voltage and currents would be lowered because there wouldn't be as much power to generate the battery. However, when we actually did the experiment, I only proved to be right in the normal salt because the voltage and currents decreased as the concentration lowered, but for copper sulfate, the voltage increased, and the currents decreased. For iron sulfate, the voltage stayed somewhere around the same area (.450-.500), but the currents decreased as well. I found the results reasonable because when we did the experiment in class, we only used normal salt, not copper sulfate or iron sulfate. What I found interesting was that for some, the voltage increased, decreased, and stayed about the same, but all the currents decreased. The strengths of our method was that everything was equal, there wasn't anything that had more of something that something else didn't. For example, we made sure that all the metals were the same size and shape, as well as made sure all the measurements for the concentration were very precise. One of the weaknesses we had was trying to calculate the current because it would never settle on a number, but quickly decrease or increase so we were never able to get an accurate number like we could in the voltage. We ended up just writing down the number after exactly one minute of waiting for the current's number to settle, but it still isn't as accurate which possibly could effect our data. We could modify it by not stirring the solution before we measured the currents so there is a bigger possibility in getting an accurate number. I can conclude from my results that this battery doesn't have as much voltage or currents as an AA battery which has 1.5 volts, whereas our strongest volt was .59 which isn't even half of the battery's voltage. I would recommend to the group that if you want to control this variable for an efficient battery, you should add more salt for the current to be stronger, but it depends on what TYPE of salt you put in that could increase or decrease the voltage. The only one we know for sure that inreases the voltage with the more salt you put in is Normal Salt, so for others, such as Iron and Copper Sulfate, you would have to test it out before you end up with a good result. BY: ANNICE CHEN
 * TEST TUBE: ||  CONCENTRATION  ||  COLOR:  ||  VOLTAGE:  ||  AMPS:  ||
 * 1 ||  10 g/L  ||  Green Blue  ||  .118  ||  1.91  ||
 * 2 ||  1 g/L  ||  Foggy  ||  .319  ||  1.67  ||
 * 3 ||  .1 g/L  ||  Less Foggy  ||  .473  ||  .61  ||
 * 4 ||  .01 g/L  ||  Water  ||  .479  ||  .48  ||
 * 5 ||  .001 g/L  ||  Water  ||  .459  ||  .49  ||
 * Evaluations: