Homeostasis Project
In this project, we learned about and demonstrated the concept of homeostasis that happens within our body. Homeostasis is the process in which our body maintains a stable equilibrium and keep itself in balance.
Since learning about dehydration and how the body protects itself from it is the main focus of our experiment, we were unable to complete it during class time. Instead, we would use the formula "Body weight x.5 = recommended oz of water per day" for the control run. We translate the liquid ounces into milliliters. We calculated the volumes using an average water bottle's 500mL capacity. Each group member would consume the recommended amount of water for them within an hour of their choosing, provided there were still five hours of daylight left. The group member will continue performing their normal tasks for the next five hours (without engaging in any hard physical activity), but they must pay close attention for any signs of dehydration and note what time they appear. We changed how much water is consumed during the first hour of the experiment for each of the two experimental runs. For experiment 1, we had the group members drink only half of the suggested amount of water before continuing the experiment in the same manner as the control run. In experiment 2, we once more used the appropriate water amount but increased it by 150%. The experiment was then carried out just as it had been for the control, with daily activities resumed and observed symptoms noted as they occurred.
Content
Dependent Variable - The thing you change or are manipulating.
Independent Variable - It is the thing you are measuring or responding to.
The Control - The baseline that you compare everything to.
Experimental Run - The trials where you changed things.
Constants - All the things that are the same between each trial.
Procedure - What you are going to do for an experiment.
Sample Size - How many people or animals are going to be used during the experiment.
Hypothesis - Can be an if then statement.
Homeostasis - Systems in your body monitor and regulate important parameters of the body and keep them within normal levels (equilibrium).
Equilibrium - A state in which opposing forces or actions are balanced so that one is not stronger or greater than the other. This concept is important in homeostasis because homeostasis is keeping different things at equilibrium.
Reflection
Our critical thinking was one of the successes of the project. We devised a unique procedure to test homeostasis and utilized our knowledge of the concept to design an experiment that yielded the desired results. By creating a control group and conducting multiple test runs, we were able to confirm the hypothesis we had formulated at the start of the project. Additionally, our conscientious approach to learning enabled us to integrate all the key concepts we had learned in class into our final poster.
However, communication was one of the areas that presented challenges for us. At times, we struggled to keep track of the project's progress due to poor communication, leading to some confusion during the experiment and the project as a whole. We were able to fix this setback by resolving our communication issues. Another obstacle we faced was our failure to consistently record results during the experiment, necessitating extra time to collect additional data.