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Contributor: Kaitlyn Zimmerman. Lesson ID: 12516
What color is a (clean, of course!) penny? Copper, you say? Have you ever painted something, like a wall or model car? In this experiment, you'll see that pennies are (sort of) painted a copper color!
Keep reading to find out more!
Imagine this: You are in the check-out line at the grocery store and the total bill has come to $42.04.
Your mom begins to pull out some cash and pennies to pay the cashier. But you notice that she pulls a silver penny out of her wallet! You wonder to yourself, “What is wrong with that penny?”
That would be a shopping trip you never would forget. In the United States, we would think a silver penny would look strange because we are used to seeing copper-colored pennies.
Don’t be alarmed if you are scratching your head and wondering, “What do they mean by ‘copper-plated’? And what does it have to do with acids and bases?”
Watch the video and find out!
Copper plating DOES have something to do with acids and bases, or it wouldn't be in this lesson!
OK, time to continue on to the Got It? section for some fun!
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