INTRODUCTION
A. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Electricity is an integral utility in modern society, with links to
everything from a human's subconscious fear of the dark to the practical need
for working illumination in an industrialized world. The entire world
essentially runs on electricity, in one form or another, and while combustibles
are essential at the present time as well, their time is nearing an end.
All of the modern energy alternatives
are focused on creating electricity by renewable means, such as wind turbines,
solar arrays and geothermic heating, ultimately using steam to turn large
turbines, creating electricity. Fruits and vegetables contain important vitamins and
minerals our bodies need to maintain it properly. These same fruits and
vegetables also contain a large amount of water. The water in all fruits and
vegetables makes them good conductors of electricity.
Chayote (Sechium edule), also known as christophene or
christophine,cho-cho,mirliton or merleton (Creole/Cajun),
chuchu (Brazil), Cidra (Antioquia, Caldas,
Quindio and Risaralda regions of Colombia), Guatila (Boyacá and Valle
del Cauca regions of Colombia), Centinarja (Malta),
Pipinola (Hawaii), pear squash, vegetable
pear, chouchoute, choko, güisquil (El Salvador), Labu
Siam (Indonesia), Ishkus (Darjeeling, India), Pataste (Honduras), Sayote
(Philippines) is an edible plant belonging to the gourd
family Cucurbitaceae,
along with melons, cucumbers and squash. Chayote in its nature contains large amount
of water. So it is my goal to test if sayote could be a good conductor of
electricity. The word chayote is a Spanish derivative of the Nahuatl word chayohtli (pronounced [t͡ʃaˈjoʔt͡ɬi]).
Chayote was one of the many foods introduced to Europe by early explorers, who brought back a wide
assortment of botanical samples. The Age of Conquest also spread the plant south
from Mexico, ultimately causing it to be integrated into the cuisine of many
other Latin American nations.
In the Philippines, the plant is known as
"Sayote" and is grown mostly on Mountainous part of the country such
as Baguio City and parts of Cordillera
Administrative Region. Chayote is used in many kinds of dishes such
as soup, stir-fried vegetables and chop suey.
B.
BENEFITS
Although chayote
(Sechium edule) is typically prepared as a vegetable, it is in fact a fruit.
It’s quite crunchy flesh can be eaten both raw and cooked. Around the world it
is known by various names including merliton, christophene and chowchow. It is
a member of the squash family and is referred to as the “vegetable pear.”
Chayote is an excellent source of folate, a B vitamin which helps prevent
homocystein build-up. Studies have shown that too much of this amino acid in
the blood is linked to a higher risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.Vitamin
C is known as one of the powerful antioxidants, substances that may protect
cells from damage caused by free radicals. Studies suggest that antioxidants
may slow or possibly prevent cancer development. Start your day with a
breakfast of chayote omelet. Its manganese content helps the body converts
protein and fat to energy.Need more fiber? Promote bowel regularity by adding
this vegetable to your diet.It helps iodine in keeping the thyroid healthy by
providing copper, a mineral linked in thyroid metabolism, especially in hormone
production and absorption.It is a good source of zinc, a mineral which has
shown to influence hormones which controls the production of oil in the skin.Tell
grandma to eat chayote for a natural supply of vitamin K. Studies revealed a
connection between vitamin K and osteoporosis.Tired and heavy legs are the
body’s signal that it needs more potassium. Have some potassium-rich foods to
prevent this condition.Study participants have shown that vitamin B6 helps
improve memory performance in some age groups.Chayote also contains magnesium,
an electrolyte and a mineral which helps prevent muscle cramps.
According to the US government about 39% of the energy used
in America goes towards generating electricity. Therefore generating
electricity plays a major roll the amount of pollution added to the environment
each year. Since most of America's electric is generated via the burning of
fossil fuels like coal, oil or natural gas the amount of electric generated is
directly responsible for our environmental impact.
Chayote is originally native to Mexico or Central America where it grows abundantly
and has little commercial value, and it has been introduced as a crop all over
Latin America, and worldwide. The main growing regions are Brazil, Costa Rica and Veracruz, Mexico. Costa Rican chayotes are predominantly exported
to the European Union,
whereas Veracruz is the main exporter of chayotes to the United States.
REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE
Electricity has become an essential part of our
daily lives. We become restless, if we are forced to live without it even for
an hour. This fact brings us to the point, where we are forced to think of
alternative sources for generating electricity. Well, the
alternative source is right there in your kitchen. lemons or any other citrus
fruit. Any type of citrus fruit, be it lemon, orange or sweet lime, will
generate electricity when they are properly connected in a completed electrical
circuit. In a fruit circuit, the fruit acts as a
battery. The citric acid and
water in the fruit act as an electrolyte, thus enabling the flow of electricity
through the circuit. In a normal battery, be it of any size, two metals are
used to generate electrons, and a conductive chemical eases the flow of these
electrons through the circuit. When the fruit acts as a battery, the acid and
water contained in it act as the conductive chemical.
G.
Johnstone Stoney, an Irish physicist, had a theory that electric currents are
really movements of nearly invisible electrical particles. He suggested that
these particles be called electrons, in 1891. Joseph John Thomson, an English
physicist, showed that electrons existed in 1897. An American physicist, Robert
A. Millikan, accurately measured an electron’s charge in 1913.
In the late 1800’s was
when scientists discovered that electrons could be separated from metal
surfaces in vacuum tubes. Vacuum tubes are glass tubes with most of the air
removed. The tube contains electrodes with wires that extend through the glass,
linking batteries to the electrodes it caused a current of electrons to flow
through the electrons inside the tube. Adjusting the voltage can change the
current. Vacuum tubes can amplify, mix, and separate weak electric currents.
The vacuum tube made the radio, TV, light bulb, and other electrical inventions
possible.
In
1947, American physicists John Burdeen, Walter H. Bratten, and William Shocky
invented the transistor. Vacuum tubes and transistors do almost the same thing,
accept transistors are smaller and more durable, and they use less energy. By
the 1960’s transistors had replaced vacuum tubes in nearly all-electronic
equipment. Since the 1960’s electronic companies have developed even smaller
transistors, to fit on a single chip called an integrated circuit.
Electricity
is used very widely. It’s even used in animals and people. It controls our
nervous system. Everything manmade you look at you wouldn’t usually think about
who or what made it because people don’t hand make the things you use,
electrical machines do, like sewing machines, and other electrical machines
make those electrical machines. So every single machine uses electricity or was
produced with electricity. Electricity will only travel through certain
materials called conductors. Conductors are metals, (iron, copper, and zinc)
water, acid, and many other substances. Electricity also refuses to travel
through some substances, like wood, rubber, plastic, paper (made from wood),
pastes, and natural substances (such as rocks, leaves, and dirt.) They are all
called insulators. Several things like wind and water pressure can produce
electricity. Man made electric harnesses such as windmills; generators and dams
are used to create electrical power to run all of our cities and towns.
Lightning and static electricity happen naturally and cannot be harnessed.
REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES
Though it's
certainly not a practical way to light your home, you can generate electricity
from fruit. The acid in fruit interacts with electrodes to create a small
amount of voltage. Creating a fruit battery is an interesting experiment to try
with school-age children. Once you have the necessary materials, you can
experiment with different fruits to see the varied results. The lemon,
with the zinc and copper, becomes a battery. A battery is composed of two
metals and an electrolyte. An electrolyte is a conductive liquid; here, the
lemon juice performs this function. A chemical reaction takes place between the
metals within the citrus fruit. This creates voltage, which pushes the
electrons through the circuit.
A common misunderstanding is that citrus fruits create
electricity. What happens is the electrolyte (the citrus juice) combined with
the zinc and the copper form a battery, which in turn completes an electrical
circuit.
Citrus fruits are not the only sources of electrolytes. Other
juicy fruits, like apples, can be used. Potatoes are good conductors, too.
Vinegar is also a viable conductor.
Many small items can be powered using an electrical circuit with
citrus fruits, such as penlight bulbs. LEDs can be powered with citrus fruits;
they use less electricity than light bulbs. Calculators are a useful tool that
can be powered by this method, too.
OBJECTIVE
The reason of the test was to find out if chayote as an alternative source of electricity can light the LED bulb.
MATERIALS
In this test, I am required to secure the following materials to be able to come up with an effective chayote battery.
1.
6-8 pieces of medium-sized
Chayote
2.
A set
of galvanized nails
3. Approximately 10 pieces of
centavo coins
4. A set of alligator clips with
wire
5. 1 meter bronze wire
6. A 3.bolt LED light bulb
7. Switch (optional)
PROCEDURESThese are the steps that should be followed to light the LED bulb using the chayote.
1.
Put a nail and a
centavo coin on each end of the chayote and then connect the ends with the
bronze wire.
2.
Place the other end of the wire
on the LED bulb. Make sure that the centavo coin and the nail are connected to the
LED bulb using the alligator clip.
http://www.reference.com/motif/science/importance-of-electricity-in-our-daily-life
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/why-do-citrus-fruits-conduct-electricity.html
http://www.selah.k12.wa.us/soar/sciproj2002/audras.html
