Concepts: Scientific Method: The scientific method is the method that scientists use to derive find things out. It involves experiments and analytic logic applied to a problem. It's steps are like this. 1. Make observations 2. Research 3.Form a hypothesis 4.Devise a experiment 5. Collect data 6.Analyze data 7.Make conclusions. 8. Share information Independent Variable: The independent variable is the thing in the experiment that doesn't change. Our independent variable was the water intake per day. Dependent Variable: The dependent variable is the variable that changes depending on the independent variable. Our dependent variable was the amount of times we urinated. Homeostasis: The state of being alive. The body needs to maintain the internal chemical reactions to be alive. In our project we studied how the body maintains it's safe water levels through feedback loops. Feedback Loop: These are used to maintain homeostasis. They are a loop that involves a stimulus causing a body's organs to react to it. When they react the body responds and the stimulus will either increase or decrease. Feedback loops are either positive or negative. Negative Feedback Loop: This is when the stimulus decreases, like when you notice you are going to fast and then you slow down and the stimulus of going to fast decreases. In our project water levels were a negative feedback loop in which the stimulus of a need of water decreases as the body responds by making us thirsty. Positive feedback loop: A positive feedback loop is when the stimulus increases. For example, in pregnancy, the womb contracts to deliver a baby. The stimulus of the contractions increases as the womb contracts more in response. Response: The response is how the organs/organism responds to the stimulus. Receptor: The receptor is the organ that receives the information from the stimulus. It then sends it to the effector. Effector: The effector is the organ that actually responds to the stimulus. Hormone: Hormones are the body's natural chemical signals and they are involved in many important functions. Pituitary Gland: The pituitary gland is a gland in the brain that releases hormones like ADH to regulate homeostasis in the body. ADH: ADH is the hormone that is involved in water levels. It signals for a increased thirst and more water efficiency in the kidneys. It also decreases urine production. ADH is released from the pituitary gland. Kidneys: The kidneys are important organs in the body. They produce urine and they also help filter out toxins from the body. |
Project Description
This project involved investigating water levels in the human body and how they maintain their homeostasis through feedback loops. To do this we designed an experiment testing urination frequency and color. Once we finished this we constructed a poster with scientific writing to display our knowledge. Reflection: This project was one of the easier projects in STEM. It had some highs and lows. One of the high points of the project was being on schedule with the writing for the poster. Another peak was finishing the project itself. However, the project also had some low points. One of those was at the start when my group got water levels which inevitably meant testing urine. Second, there was not much information on the homeostasis of hydration on the internet for our research. Overall, this project went smoothly for our group and we finished everything on time. |