Science Sundays: An Experiment in Electroplating

There have been plenty of history-making events here in the year 2020, one of which was the delay of the summer Olympic games, the first time the Olympics have not taken place for something other than war.

But we wanted to bring some of the spirit of the games (and those coveted gold, silver, and bronze medals) to our Science Sunday segment.

This week's experiment is in electroplating copper pennies to appear like different metals (or medals!). Amanda Callahan, a Senior Reservoir Engineer with California Resources Corporation, shows us how to do it:

• Here's a link to follow this procedure at home (under adult supervision)
• Here's a link to accomplish the electroplating process using the principles of an electric circuit