To show that a pickle can conduct electricity, converting electrical energy into thermal energy and light.
Location
Room 146, shelf M2
Description
NOTE: USE EXTREME CAUTION WITH 120VAC CURRENT WHICH IS USED TO ILLUMINATE THE PICKLE.
Take a pickle and place it in a PryexR glass pan or on some other insulating surface. Do NOT plug the cord into the wall first! Place the electrodes (nails) into the ends of the pickle and make sure they do not make contact with each other. There is no need to make contact with or be near the pickle anymore. (Warn students not to get close!) Plug the cord into a 120VAC outlet and turn off the lights. You should wait no longer then 3 minutes for the pickle to first hiss and then begin to glow on one end. A reasonable hypothesis is that the sodium atoms in the pickle are getting enough energy from the electric current for their electrons to jump to higher energy states, then decay to lower energy states, thus emitting yellowish light. (Like a sodium vapor lamp.)
Unplug the cord immediately upon completion of the demo.
Note: The pickle is not hot enough to emit thermal radiation. I (Ron Bruner) am not certain what the exact mechanism of emission is.
