Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

i just want to ask how electrodes in a galvanic cell are connected if it will be used to power a bulb. if the electrodes are soaked in the electrolyte, how are they connected to each other and to the bulb?
thank you very much.

If you look at the first drawing in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_cell, you can see that the annode and cathode electrodes have ends that are not in the electrolyte solution. This means that you can make connections to them without adding a different metal into the electrolyte solution.

Assuming that the DC voltage produced by a single cell is appropriate to light your bulb and your bulb isn't an LED or other device that only works when current flows in one direction, then you need a simple series circuit. Connect a wire to the annode and one of the bulb contacts. Connect the other bulb contact to a second wire and the other end of that wire to the cathode.

thank you very much, sir. my students were able to follow your procedure and were able to make the bulb glow.

Very interesting , I m going to try make the bulb glow at home.