Hi kids. Don’t know what to do during the school holidays? Learn how to split water and know more about electricity with these “electrifying” Science experiments!

Warning: The dangers of electricity

You must NEVER touch switches or electrical equipments which are switched on when your hands are wet or when you are standing with bare feet on a wet surface. The water in our homes is not distilled and therefore is a good conductor of electricity. If an electric current is flowing through the water, it can give you a serious electric shock. Do get the permission and help of your parents for the following activities.

Activity 1: Can Water Conduct Electricity?

What do you need?

1. A glass or plastic container

2. 2 crocodile clips (if you do not have them, use metal clams with wires tied to the ends)

3. 9 volt batteries

4. A bulb

5. Distilled water

6. Salt

What to do?

1. Fill the container with distilled water.

2. Connect the wires as shown in figure 1.

3. Place a clip on each side of the container, so that it touches the water.

4. Connect the other ends of the wire to the bulb, one wire touching the bottom of the metal screw, the other touching the side of the screw.

Observe what happens? The bulb does not light up.

5. Add a handful of salt to the water. Reconnect the wires to the bulb.

Now, what happens? The bulb lights up!

Why did you discover?

Distilled water is an insulator which means it prevents the flow of electrical charge. But if you add salt, it becomes a conductor. When the salt dissolves, the particles in it are being electrically charged, allowing the electricity to pass through.

Pure water is an insulator, but water containing salt is a good conductor of electricity.

Activity 2: H2O Electrolysis – Splitting Water!

Water is a simple chemical made from 2 gases – hydrogen and oxygen.

You can use electricity to split hydrogen gas out of the water in the same way as a process called electrolysis.

What do you need?

1. A 9 volt battery

2. 2 regular pencils (remove the eraser and metal parts on the ends)

3. Salt

4. Thin cardboard

5. Electrical wire

6. A small glass

7. Warm water

What to do?

1. Sharpen each pencil at both ends.

2. Cut the cardboard to fit over the glass.

3. Push the two pencils into the cardboard, about 3 cm apart.

4. Dissolve some salt into the warm water for a while. The salt helps conduct the electricity better than in the water.

5. Using one piece of the electrical wire, connect one side of the positive side of the battery to the black lead of the pencil. Do the same on the negative side connecting to the second pencil lead.

6. Place the other two ends of the pencil into the salted water.

What did you discover?

Chemical changes are caused by the passage of electrical current in water. The current breaks up the water, bubbles can be observed.

These activities are kindly provided by Learning Project Education Centre.