Homeostasis is the self-regulating process by which the body uses to maintain equilibrium in response to external conditions. The body uses positive or negative feedback loops to respond to stimulus in different ways. My group of four (Jacob, Lindsey, Sola, and I) were assigned the process of balancing pH levels. After researching it, we decided to test the speed at which pH could be stabilized in the mouth, using an acidic fruit and a control group who just drank water. We followed the steps of the scientific process in order to create an organized project.

Scientific Process

Ask a question, do background research, form a hypothesis, run an experiment, analyze data, form a conclusion, and report out your findings.

We followed these steps for this project, and it is a guideline to use for all science experiments.

Homeostasis

Refers to any process that living things use to actively maintain fairly stable conditions necessary for survival. Our bodies are constantly working to keep us alive and well using homeostasis.

Our project tested one of these processes.

Positive Feedback

Positive feedback involves a physiological system that reinforces the change (works to reinforce or intensify the change) in the body. The actual change will continue to amplify by the positive feedback loop until the stimulus is removed.

An example of this is when someone is giving birth, and the body increases contractions until the baby is born.

Negative Feedback

A negative feedback loop occurs in biology when the product of a reaction leads to a decrease in that reaction. The body does something to reduce the change until the stimulus is removed in order to keep the body stable.

Our project was based on a negative feedback loop; when the acidity when increased, the body produced saliva to decrease the pH in the mouth.

pH Levels

pH is the quantitative measure of the acidity or basicity of aqueous or other liquid solutions. It stands for potential hydrogen, and it tells how much hydrogen is in liquids.

We used pH strips and a pH scale to determine the acidity of our saliva in our experiment testing pH.

Overall, I enjoyed this unit and learning about the body's natural processes. I found it interesting to see how the body responded to stimulus in different ways for different situations. My group collaborated well and we were all able to do our parts contributing to the final result.

One thing I did well was staying on track during class and working hard so that I didn't have extra work to do at home. Although we were all friends within the group, we didn't let that put us behind on our project and we were able to find a good balance of working and conversation. Another thing I did well at was listening to all of my group members' ideas and taking everyone's thoughts into consideration when formulating our test. I think that we were able to find a compromise that worked for everyone, and one that allowed everyone to participate.

One thing I think that I could work on for the next project is using more critical thinking to fully grasp the concept being tested. Going in to this experiment, I did not know what pH levels were and had never heard of them. After doing our background research, I was able to reach a basic understanding, but for the next project I would like to have more extensive knowledge on the subject matter. Another thing I could've done better at was setting clear jobs for members of the group, because some of us would finish our task for the day and not know what the next step was. In the future, I can communicate that aspect with my group and talk about everything we need to get done.