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Sep 08, 2023

🧪 Science with Sarah:💡 Index card flashlights

Sarah Spivey, KSAT Weather Authority Meteorologist Ben Spicer, Digital

Sarah Spivey, KSAT Weather Authority Meteorologist

Ben Spicer, Digital Journalist

👉 Watch the video of Sarah's school science experiment here!

Hello parents, teachers and students! Are you looking for something fun to do at home that has a little bit of science behind it? Learn how to make index card flashlights at home with Meteorologist Sarah Spivey and her awesome assistant, David Sears!

Be sure to check out GMSA@9 on Wednesdays when Meteorologist Sarah Spivey does the demonstrations and explains the science behind it.

This is a great example of how circuits work and it shows that aluminum foil is a good conductor of electricity!

The positive side of the index card is charged by the positive side of the battery. However, the lightbulb doesn't turn on until the circuit is completed. This happens when other side of the index card comes in contact with the negative side of the battery through the conductive aluminum foil.

If you find that the lightbulb is not turning on, try some troubleshooting. First, make sure enough of the textured, negative side of the battery is exposed (Step 5). Second, make sure that enough of the lightbulb wires are coming in contact with the aluminum foil (Step 2).

If you’d like Sarah and David to come to your school and conduct a science experiment live on KSAT, email [email protected].

Parents and guardians: upload a video of your child performing the activity by clicking here. Send it in and you might see it on GMSA @ 9 a.m.!

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