Activity (Hands-On)Grades 11 - 12

All Charged Up: Optimizing a Homemade Capacitor

Materials List

Each group needs:

1 laptop or tablet with access to https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/capacitor-lab-basics/latest/capacitor-lab-basics_all.html
Exploring Capacitors PhET Worksheet (PDF) (1 per student)
Create a Capacitor EDP Packet (PDF) (1 per student)
Analysis and Reflection Worksheet (PDF)(1 per student)
1 Data Recording Sheet (PDF)
writing utensil (1 per student)
2 paper/plastic cups of different sizes
large sheet of aluminum foil (approx. 30 cm × 30 cm)
3 different metals (see below for examples)
2 different electrolyte solutions
- salt water (cold)
- salt water (warm)
- oil
- rubbing alcohol
1 ruler
1 scissors
1 tape (clear or masked)
(optional) 1 9V battery (Needed if using a multimeter. Note: More than one battery will allow for stacking, thus creating a larger voltage.)

For the class to share: