Hi, I just saw this tutorial how to make a fire from a potato.
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-make-fire-using-a-potato-6894
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-make-fire-using-a-potato-6894
Fire from a potato Real or fake???
- Thread starter ddokkum
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bushyboo
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I will have to go to the supermarket to buy a couple of potatoes. And i am also going to try and see if this really works...
Dunno, I'm still looking at the very beginning of the clip! She'll catch her death dressing like that!
I can't tell from that what the wires are made of, if differing materials it should work like a basic salt water battery, just solder on the end of 1 wire might be enough.
Also not sure if the toothpaste is doing anything electrically wise, it may just be keeping a high salt concentration in a small area
Also not sure if the toothpaste is doing anything electrically wise, it may just be keeping a high salt concentration in a small area
I believe the toothpaste was just used as a solvent for the salt, therefore making a very crude electrolyte. Getting sparks from that would be difficult though.
Not exactly fire from just a potato though, more like a fire from everything in the kitchen.
does the potato actuly do anything??
its hardly makeing fire from a potato but im still thinking of trying it out lol
its hardly makeing fire from a potato but im still thinking of trying it out lol
Sorry, still stuck on the first bit!
Your browser must be broke, ;-)
I have seen spud powered clocks and low power lights using a series of spud batteries. From O level General Science I remember you have to use two different metals, one becoming positively charged the other negative, this allows a flow of electricity between the two. A copper coin and a silver coin are favourite then attach wires to each one.
I think by adding the extra salt he turbo's the spud but I have'nt a clue what might be in the toothpaste (if anything) other than using it as a base to hold in the salt.
A little project for tomorrow methinks.
As a basic potato or salt water battery I wouldn't expect it to produce enough voltage to spark, though if you put a whole bunch in series it might.
What makes me think it's likely to be fake is the waiting 5 minutes being a good place to cut and stick a batterey inside. My feeling was that if you wanted to show it as real but needed the cut to keep a reasonable time frame, it would be better to put the wires in from the sides and not have the top half of the potato on.
What makes me think it's likely to be fake is the waiting 5 minutes being a good place to cut and stick a batterey inside. My feeling was that if you wanted to show it as real but needed the cut to keep a reasonable time frame, it would be better to put the wires in from the sides and not have the top half of the potato on.
That's exactly what I was thinking... Plus it looks to me like both wires are copper, so it wouldn't work anyway. Could be wrong though...
Try sticking a match in the potato then run it down the side of the matchbox - it works like a dream 
Just tried it.............did'nt work.
Using a multimeter I found that the spud produced .2v and enhanced with salt and toothpaste it produced .5v
Glad you tried it saves me having a go,was the missus in a bikini though when you tried it as that hots things up
Bernie
wot the hell has any one tryed it yet i havant read al the thread so sorry if i mised some think
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