You can make a battery with 2p coins.

YOU WILL NEED:

10 2p coins Clear distilled vinegar Salt Paper towels Card Kitchen foil Two wires Crocodile clips (optional) LED Sticky tape Pen Dish

Building a working battery from scratch is within the reach of everyone. In fact, with a few basic items, you can make a working replica of the world's first modern battery, invented by Alessandro Volta way back in 1799.

WHAT’S GOING ON?

The same basic ‘electrochemical’ processes take place inside all batteries, including the one you’ve just made. All atoms are surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged particles called electrons. In the coin battery, each aluminium foil circle reacts with the acidic vinegar electrolyte to generate aluminium hydroxide on its surface along with an abundance of electrons. The excess electrons repel one another and escape from the metal along the wire. The moving electrons pass through the LED and round the circuit to the copper in the coins. The copper then serves to let the negative charge back into the electrolyte, thus replenishing the electrolyte and letting the reaction continue.

The oxygen that is dissolved in the electrolyte takes part in the electron transfer, and when it has been used up the electricity will stop flowing. Because there isn't a lot of electrolyte in your coin battery, it will quickly run out – so use your LED wisely!