Comments on: Apples and Oranges

Apples and Oranges

zarq — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:22:48 -0800

How many oranges does it take to charge an Apple? (A SLYT post, via)

By: zarq

zarq — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:23:23 -0800

The video is apparently part of a campaign to raise awareness about jaffa oranges. So... you know... Orange Blue. :)

By: dirigibleman

dirigibleman — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:25:46 -0800

That was very Dexter.

By: darkstar

darkstar — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:33:30 -0800

As a chemistry instructor, I can't let this slip by without noting that the oranges don't actually produce any electricity. It's the electron transfer between the two metals - in this case copper and zinc - that provides the charge. The orange slices merely provide the I'll stop now

By: jedicus

jedicus — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:35:06 -0800

Yeah, you'd get better results with lemons or limes. In general the more sour the citrus the better the power source.

By: Throw away your common sense and get an afro!

Throw away your common sense and get an afro! — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:38:02 -0800

The orange slices merely provide the Yeah, I came in here to ask: Couldn't you just stick a bunch of nails into a couple of unsliced oranges thereby achieving the same effect?

By: DU

DU — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:38:48 -0800

It looks like each battery is 12 oranges. Assuming the iPhone has a USB-like charging interface, it needs ~5V. If each orange provides a ~.8V potential, that would work. They can get almost 200 batteries of 12 oranges out of 2380 oranges, so I guess the rest is just MOAR POWA (which is to say current). the oranges don't actually produce any electricity. It's the electron transfer between the two metals - in this case copper and zinc - that provides the charge Right, which means cutting the oranges was kind of pointless. It just gets juice everywhere. If you need bigger currents, use probes with larger surface areas.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:39:32 -0800

SCIENCE! The video is apparently part of a campaign to raise awareness about jaffa oranges. In my search for more info on the Jaffa oranges, Google's suggestion was "jaffa oranges boycott," leading me to this - Israeli oranges imported as products of China, to bypass an Iranian ban on imports from its "arch foe" Israel (report dated April 24, 2009). Apparently by bypassing the ban, Israeli orange agents were "smear[ing] the government." Here is some more history on the Jaffa oranges, including how this orange "is a fruit to which many symbolically link the effects and aftermath of the 1948 Israeli-Arab War and Palestinian national identity issues."

By: Horace Rumpole

Horace Rumpole — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:41:08 -0800

something something comparing

By: hal9k

hal9k — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:42:26 -0800

I thought you can't ampere Apples and oranges.

By: DU

DU — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:43:23 -0800

I just went to Wikipedia:

..a very sweet, almost seedless orange... [Jaffa oranges] are characterized by their oval shape, sweet flavor, and strong aroma. The peel is light orange in color, and is normally very easy to remove from the fruit.

Sounds like a politicized version of the clementine. Only with more seeds. Pass.

By: zarq

zarq — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:44:53 -0800

Apparently by bypassing the ban, Israeli orange agents were "smear[ing] the government." Here is some more history on the Jaffa oranges, including how this orange "is a fruit to which many symbolically link the effects and aftermath of the 1948 Israeli-Arab War and Palestinian national identity issues." Oh dear lord.

By: DU

DU — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:50:24 -0800

MetaFilter: like a politicized version of the clementine

By: zarq

zarq — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:54:13 -0800

Sounds like a politicized version of the clementine. Only with more seeds. Pass. They have at most 2 or 3 seeds, I think. Been a very long time since I had one.

By: sfts2

sfts2 — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:06:50 -0800

hal9k wins!

By: Salvor Hardin

Salvor Hardin — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:32:24 -0800

AGH STOP WASTING FOOD! starving children grumble grumble But that is pretty awesome.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:46:11 -0800

Sounds like a politicized version of the clementine. Only with more seeds. Pass. ... MetaFilter: like a politicized version of the clementine Metafilter: You can't tagline your own comment.

By: Splunge

Splunge — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:01:07 -0800

I thought you can't ampere Apples and oranges. I love you.

By: graventy

graventy — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:14:44 -0800

AGH STOP WASTING FOOD! starving children grumble grumble That's not food, though. Apparently those are blood oranges. Like blood diamonds. Only fruity.

By: drhydro

drhydro — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:27:46 -0800

Shocking! Metafilter: keeping current on things.

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:30:41 -0800

Seriously, stop wasting food.

By: Kid Charlemagne

Kid Charlemagne — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:59:40 -0800

If you used the right metals you could still eat the oranges and they'd be even better for you because they'd be fortified with essential minerals!

By: cavalier

cavalier — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:13:22 -0800

The orange slices merely provide the I'll stop now Hello, I am actually lazy and or stupid; next time please feel encouraged to continue right where it was getting good!

By: kenko

kenko — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:28:31 -0800

By: delmoi

delmoi — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:41:03 -0800

Yeah, there was no reason to actually slice the oranges.

By: maxwelton

maxwelton — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:45:16 -0800

Yeah, there was no reason to actually slice the oranges. Other than Gratuitous-Attractive-Woman-With-Knife filler which provided 80% of the run-time.

By: Rhomboid

Rhomboid — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:51:59 -0800

Woman slicing oranges? Yeah, we got that B-roll.

By: diwolf

diwolf — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 22:50:25 -0800

How funny. Thanks !

By: Malor

Malor — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:08:45 -0800

Didn't they slice the oranges to make them into separate batteries? If you just stuck all the nails into one orange, I don't think you'd get the same kind of voltage, would you?

By: empath

empath — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:14:52 -0800

Apparently those are blood oranges. You probably already know this, but blood oranges are a real thing and they're delicious.

By: Davenhill

Davenhill — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:41:32 -0800

Feeling inspired, I wanted to find out how many oranges it would take to power my electric car. I soon discovered it was far more efficient to use kittens instead. It works out to roughly 7400 kittens/mile. Add another 600/mile if you're running the air conditioner. But there is a downside: it's REALLY noisy.

By: Evilspork

Evilspork — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:44:24 -0800

Seriously, stop wasting food. I know, this is revolting. I'll be here all week.

By: Mr. Bad Example

Mr. Bad Example — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 03:39:06 -0800

[...] use probes with larger surface areas That's what she said. I'll just show myself out...

By: Thoth

Thoth — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:31:51 -0800

Don't slice directly onto a granite surface! It's painful to see knives used like this! GAH!

By: ZenMasterThis

ZenMasterThis — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:00:30 -0800

Yeah, I came in here to ask: Couldn't you just stick a bunch of nails into a couple of unsliced oranges thereby achieving the same effect? No. I tried this with a potato once. You need to have each "cell" electrically isolated for this to work.

By: graventy

graventy — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:06:49 -0800

You probably already know this, but blood oranges are a real thing and they're delicious. That's what makes it a good pun. Sort of.

By: Ly

Ly — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:29:54 -0800

wow, what a wasting of food..

By: pracowity

pracowity — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:42:47 -0800

Hmmm...

By: skullbee

skullbee — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 07:13:16 -0800

For those of you concerned about the wasting of food, check out this these batteries that actually use waste and by that I mean cow dung.

By: Xezlec

Xezlec — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 08:09:20 -0800

The orange slices merely provide the pretext for the metals to swap electrons. See, copper and zinc aren't actually interested in each other—each of them is much more into citrus than other metals. But if you put them in an orange-rich environment, they'll engage in electrical congress, in order to seem interesting, and attract the attention of the orange. When I finally get around to founding my Unorthodox Science University, you are awarded a full professorship.

By: yeloson

yeloson — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 09:15:49 -0800

The orange slices merely provide the pretext for the metals to swap electrons. See, copper and zinc aren't actually interested in each other—each of them is much more into citrus than other metals. But if you put them in an orange-rich environment, they'll engage in electrical congress, in order to seem interesting, and attract the attention of the orange. So... basically electricity works like performance bisexuality in a club? God, did you really build the universe out of issues of FHM and Maxim? I'm just going to curl up in the corner here and cry for a bit. Don't mind me.

By: darkstar

darkstar — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 09:35:06 -0800

Yeah, don't get me started on Molecular Orbital Theory and what happens when you have a degenerate pair of HOMOs...

By: anniecat

anniecat — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 09:54:47 -0800

Dammit citrus is so expensive in the US.

By: mccarty.tim

mccarty.tim — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 10:01:21 -0800

Eh, if it weren't eating oranges, it'd be eating coal. Granted, these oranges came from the Middle East, while coal can be had from the United States.

By: greekphilosophy

greekphilosophy — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 10:35:09 -0800

Hmm, I'm going to go spend this Valentine's Day afternoon with another degenerate homo and I expect there to be plenty of electricity...

By: Schismatic

Schismatic — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 11:14:24 -0800

You'd need that many oranges because, while there is a nominal power of ~.9 V if they do copper-zinc cells this way, when you actually subject the cell to a load there is internal resistance. I'm guessing that the internal resistance of an orange severely limits the current it can kick out. It appears from the final shot that they made six batteries of many, many slices of orange wired in parallel. Each parallel arrangement will give you the 0.9V, but because there are so many sources in it you can actually generate a decent current. Then they put the six of them in series to provide the necessary ~5V for the iPod. You could increase the surface area per probe to get more current too, but equivalently you could slice the oranges and put in more probes. They do the same thing, so if you already have the small probes lying around it seems easier to slice the oranges than find new probes.

By: stoneweaver

stoneweaver — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:39:46 -0800

So that was cool.