For this project my group was asked to select a form of homeostasis, research that form of homeostasis, design an experiment for it, and compose a scientific article to communicate our findings. The form of homeostasis that my group and I decided on was water levels. The way that water levels are a factor of homeostasis is when we are resting and not exerting our selves such as if we are exercising then our bodies will expel any excess water that we have through urination. Essentially the more clear and plentiful you pee is, the healthier your body water levels are. Now on the other hand if you are exercising then your body is losing water, whether that be through sweat or using the water in you already to hydrate your body. This means that your urine will be darker colored and a lesser amount compared to not exercising. Since your body is working harder to maintain a healthy and stable environment, it needs to utilize all of the resources available (ie. water). Using this knowledge about how water levels work to keep our body working, my group and I conducted an experiment.
We constructed this experiment through the engineering design cycle:
Identify Problem
Research
Form A Hypothesis
Plan Experiment
Perform Experiment
Analyze Data
Form A Conclusion
Communicate Results
Repeat
Identify Problem
Research
Form A Hypothesis
Plan Experiment
Perform Experiment
Analyze Data
Form A Conclusion
Communicate Results
Repeat
Our final product was a research article that detailed our findings and procedure of the experiment we conducted. It was presented in the form of a scientific poster on a google slide. Our class had a showcase of these posters where we went around to all of the tables/groups and learned about their different homeostasis that they investigated.
Before we even started our experiment we had to make sure that we extensively completed our research about water levels and how they relate to homeostasis. Below you will be able to find our living document that includes our research for this project.
In our research article there is an abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion section. All of the cited works can be found at the very end of our report, below the discussion section. This too can be found below the research document underneath this description.
Before we even started our experiment we had to make sure that we extensively completed our research about water levels and how they relate to homeostasis. Below you will be able to find our living document that includes our research for this project.
In our research article there is an abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion section. All of the cited works can be found at the very end of our report, below the discussion section. This too can be found below the research document underneath this description.
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Here is our research document above Here is our final product, our research article/report above.
Our Experiment
Objective
The objective of this investigation was to greater explore the concept of homeostasis in humans, more specifically how water levels are balanced in the body. Water levels between active and inactive individuals determined via varying levels of exercise and urination were used to test homeostasis.
Design
One group of students was used in this experiment, performing each specific part together. On the first day of the study the group drank water, performed no form of physical activity, and their resulting urine was observed. On the following day, the group exercised then urinated, with the results from the previous dat also being compared to it.
Subjects
The groups consisted of three high school sophomores all aged sixteen, with one individual in the group being a girl and the other two being boys.
Variables Measured
The variables measured were the levels of urine in millimeters, then converted to ounces, measured after each part of the test each day, and the color of each sample of urine that was collected.
Analysis
Analysis of the data was done by comparing the levels and color of the urine on the non exercise days to the levels and color of the urine collected on days where the subjects exercised. This data was also compared and interpreted to prior research found on the topic.
Hypothesis
The objective of this investigation was to greater explore the concept of homeostasis in humans, more specifically how water levels are balanced in the body. Water levels between active and inactive individuals determined via varying levels of exercise and urination were used to test homeostasis.
Design
One group of students was used in this experiment, performing each specific part together. On the first day of the study the group drank water, performed no form of physical activity, and their resulting urine was observed. On the following day, the group exercised then urinated, with the results from the previous dat also being compared to it.
Subjects
The groups consisted of three high school sophomores all aged sixteen, with one individual in the group being a girl and the other two being boys.
Variables Measured
The variables measured were the levels of urine in millimeters, then converted to ounces, measured after each part of the test each day, and the color of each sample of urine that was collected.
Analysis
Analysis of the data was done by comparing the levels and color of the urine on the non exercise days to the levels and color of the urine collected on days where the subjects exercised. This data was also compared and interpreted to prior research found on the topic.
Hypothesis
- After all steps of the procedure have been carried out, if a human had just exercised, then he or she would have less urine as compared to one who had not been involved in any physical activity.
- After all steps of the procedure have been carried out, if the test subjects drink water and don’t exercise, then their urine will be light in color and plentiful.
Procedure
Part #1
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Part #2
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Results
The graph shown to the right depicts our findings from our experiment. The light blue colored bar represents the amount of urine from our first trial of not exercising and drinking 24 oz of water. The more dark (navy) blue bar represents the amount of urine expelled from the second trial of exercising. As you can see there was a significant amount more of urine in our first trial of not exercising, compared to the second trial where less urine when we did exercise. Below are some observations from our test subjects about the visual appearance of their urine after both trials. The numbers of the subjects below correspond with the numbers on the graphs, for better comparison. |
This graph compares the two test of exercising and drinking water, and not exercising while drinking the same amount of water.
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Observations Trial 1 (Not Exercising)
Test subject #1:
Test Subject #2:
Test Subject #3:
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Observations Trial 2 (Exercising)
Test Subject #1:
Test Subject #2:
Test Subject #3:
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Discussion
This data shows that when the subjects drank 24 oz of water and were not exercising, their urine was light colored/clear and there was a lot expelled from their bodies. Then when the subjects drank 24 oz of water and exercised, their urine was a dark yellow color and not very much was expelled compared to the first trial. This also shows that less urine was expelled when the subjects exercised, while more was expelled when they did not exercise.
This proves homeostasis because when the body is at a stable or healthy environment, then when drenched with an excess amount of water the body will use minimal amounts and expel more from the body. This was proved through the first trial of when the subjects did not exercise and their bodies were able to maintain homeostasis more easily, hence they expelled more urine in a lighter color. The second part of the experiment, trial 2, proved homeostasis because when exerting energy and sweating the body is experiencing a decrease in water levels, therefore the body uses more water that is drank. The test subject drank the given amount of water (24 oz) and then exercised, and this exertion forced their bodies to use more of the water they drank to maintain their homeostasis. This resulted in the test subjects have less urine expelled and in darker color.
The first hypothesis was if the test subjects drink water and don’t exercise, then their urine will be light in color and plentiful. The second hypothesis was if the test subjects exercise after drinking water, then their urine will be dark in color and in small quantity. As you can see in the test, when the test subjects drank water and didn't exercise, the urine was light in color and plentiful, just like how the 1st hypothesis said, proving it right. The second hypothesis is also correct because the test subjects drank water and then exercised, their urine was dark colored and in small quantity. Therefore, both hypothesis are proved correct.
What went well in this lab was the testing and the designing/planning of the experiment. While testing, everything went smoothly and swiftly which is helpful when on a deadline and getting quick and accurate results. The planning of the experiment was also a success, because the procedure and materials needed were clear and accurate, which once again allowed for accurate testing and no wasted time.
Some errors in this experiment could include the participants did not exercise for a long enough time. This would be an error because if the body was not sweating enough or losing enough water then the results from this trial would have been negatively affected and unreliable. Also, when measuring the urine there could have been some mathematical errors. To measure the urine the test subjects were asked to mark their cups with a limit line of their waste, and then empty it out to not cause any safety or health hazards in the classroom. The cups were then filled with water in substitute and poured into a graduated cylinder, then converted to ounces. During this lengthy process there very well could have been errors involved, whether mathematical or misjudgment. One last error that could have occurred was that the test subjects did not wait long enough in either trials to go to the bathroom. This would be an error because if they did not wait long enough after drinking the water, the results or findings would be inconclusive since their bodies could have needed more time to conduct homeostasis or retain the correct water levels.
Some investigations that this experiment leads to include:
This proves homeostasis because when the body is at a stable or healthy environment, then when drenched with an excess amount of water the body will use minimal amounts and expel more from the body. This was proved through the first trial of when the subjects did not exercise and their bodies were able to maintain homeostasis more easily, hence they expelled more urine in a lighter color. The second part of the experiment, trial 2, proved homeostasis because when exerting energy and sweating the body is experiencing a decrease in water levels, therefore the body uses more water that is drank. The test subject drank the given amount of water (24 oz) and then exercised, and this exertion forced their bodies to use more of the water they drank to maintain their homeostasis. This resulted in the test subjects have less urine expelled and in darker color.
The first hypothesis was if the test subjects drink water and don’t exercise, then their urine will be light in color and plentiful. The second hypothesis was if the test subjects exercise after drinking water, then their urine will be dark in color and in small quantity. As you can see in the test, when the test subjects drank water and didn't exercise, the urine was light in color and plentiful, just like how the 1st hypothesis said, proving it right. The second hypothesis is also correct because the test subjects drank water and then exercised, their urine was dark colored and in small quantity. Therefore, both hypothesis are proved correct.
What went well in this lab was the testing and the designing/planning of the experiment. While testing, everything went smoothly and swiftly which is helpful when on a deadline and getting quick and accurate results. The planning of the experiment was also a success, because the procedure and materials needed were clear and accurate, which once again allowed for accurate testing and no wasted time.
Some errors in this experiment could include the participants did not exercise for a long enough time. This would be an error because if the body was not sweating enough or losing enough water then the results from this trial would have been negatively affected and unreliable. Also, when measuring the urine there could have been some mathematical errors. To measure the urine the test subjects were asked to mark their cups with a limit line of their waste, and then empty it out to not cause any safety or health hazards in the classroom. The cups were then filled with water in substitute and poured into a graduated cylinder, then converted to ounces. During this lengthy process there very well could have been errors involved, whether mathematical or misjudgment. One last error that could have occurred was that the test subjects did not wait long enough in either trials to go to the bathroom. This would be an error because if they did not wait long enough after drinking the water, the results or findings would be inconclusive since their bodies could have needed more time to conduct homeostasis or retain the correct water levels.
Some investigations that this experiment leads to include:
- How long does it take subjects to use the bathroom after drinking a certain amount of water? How regularly do they use the bathroom?
- If subjects are told to eat a bag of salted potato chips, how does the salt affect their water levels?
- What is the ideal body water level to achieve homeostasis?
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We also constructed an online poster to showcase our findings to our classmates and teacher during a gallery walk. It includes all of the same information from our research article on the slide, as well as acknowledgments. |
To Better Understand
Homeostasis is defined as the process by which an organism maintains a stable environment. Homeostasis can be seen all throughout the world, specifically in humans. Things such as blood pressure, blood sugar, and oxygen levels are all maintained using homeostasis, and the human body does its best to achieve a balance of all of these things.
The specific type of homeostasis that was investigated in this lab was the balance of Water Levels in the human body. Humans need water for everyday functions, and a specific amount of water must be maintained at all times. Humans can gain water by drinking, and can expel it when there is an excess of it in the body by doing things such as urinating. For example, when an individual is dehydrated, he or she will drink more water and expel much less through urination. However if there is a surplus of water in the body, there will be less need to drink water but a greater need to urinate and theoretically in higher volume.
This was shown in our experiment and results because when the test subjects were not exercising, their bodies were resting which made finding a balance much easier. Therefore, they urinated more since most of the water they drank was unnecessary or not used by the body so it was expelled. Hence why when the test subjects were exercising, the body's ability to maintain homeostasis is harder and more water is needed to obtain that balance. That is why the test subjects had darker and less urine in our second trial, because of loss due to sweat or the body utilizing it.
The Scientific Method is the process of constructing your experiment all the way to communicating the results or findings of said experiment. The scientific method is an empirical way of organizing your thinking and knowledge for an experiment. We followed these steps during our research and while completing the written portion/poster part of the project. The steps include:
An Hypothesis is an educated guess that is made before an experiment or lab begins. The idea is that this thinking and coming to a conclusion with little evidence or data, allows the individual to understand and predict the outcome of the situation. This was used in our experiment because we made two hypotheses:
When water enters the bloodstream and flows through the kidneys for filtration, extra water is expelled and turned into urine, while needed water stays in the bloodstream. The Hormone ADH is specifically used to detect water levels and trigger the release of excess water. That is how this hormone directly relates our project, since it assists in balancing water levels.
Some of the Organs (structures in the body which perform specific functions) involved with maintaining healthy water levels in the body are:
These organs relate to the project we completed because they are all involved in the process of balancing water levels and urination.
Feedback Loops are the amplification of biological inputs and outputs that are caused, or are causing, a certain event or scenario.
A Positive Feedback Loop is amplifies changes and this usually results in moving the state of the matter away from it's stability (making it more unstable). A Negative Feedback Loop is when a change is "buffered" or not amplified on a greater scale and as a result is able to maintain the state if the matter's equilibrium and make it more stable. Our experiment focused on negative feedback loops as we were trying to observe a state of stability or balance. Feedback loops relate to this project because, they allow living organisms to achieve homeostasis.
Independent Variables are what was changed or manipulated. Dependent Variables are the things that were measured or the response. Constants are all of the things that are the same between each run of the experiment. Controls are the baseline that is used to compare everything else to.
These design aspects of our experiment relate to our project because they structured our entire experiment and what we were testing for.
Homeostasis is defined as the process by which an organism maintains a stable environment. Homeostasis can be seen all throughout the world, specifically in humans. Things such as blood pressure, blood sugar, and oxygen levels are all maintained using homeostasis, and the human body does its best to achieve a balance of all of these things.
The specific type of homeostasis that was investigated in this lab was the balance of Water Levels in the human body. Humans need water for everyday functions, and a specific amount of water must be maintained at all times. Humans can gain water by drinking, and can expel it when there is an excess of it in the body by doing things such as urinating. For example, when an individual is dehydrated, he or she will drink more water and expel much less through urination. However if there is a surplus of water in the body, there will be less need to drink water but a greater need to urinate and theoretically in higher volume.
This was shown in our experiment and results because when the test subjects were not exercising, their bodies were resting which made finding a balance much easier. Therefore, they urinated more since most of the water they drank was unnecessary or not used by the body so it was expelled. Hence why when the test subjects were exercising, the body's ability to maintain homeostasis is harder and more water is needed to obtain that balance. That is why the test subjects had darker and less urine in our second trial, because of loss due to sweat or the body utilizing it.
The Scientific Method is the process of constructing your experiment all the way to communicating the results or findings of said experiment. The scientific method is an empirical way of organizing your thinking and knowledge for an experiment. We followed these steps during our research and while completing the written portion/poster part of the project. The steps include:
- Identify Problem
- Research
- Form A Hypothesis
- Plan Experiment
- Perform Experiment
- Analyze Data
- Form A Conclusion
- Communicate Results
- Repeat
An Hypothesis is an educated guess that is made before an experiment or lab begins. The idea is that this thinking and coming to a conclusion with little evidence or data, allows the individual to understand and predict the outcome of the situation. This was used in our experiment because we made two hypotheses:
- After all steps of the procedure have been carried out, if a human had just exercised, then he or she would have less urine as compared to one who had not been involved in any physical activity.
- After all steps of the procedure have been carried out, if the test subjects drink water and don’t exercise, then their urine will be light in color and plentiful.
When water enters the bloodstream and flows through the kidneys for filtration, extra water is expelled and turned into urine, while needed water stays in the bloodstream. The Hormone ADH is specifically used to detect water levels and trigger the release of excess water. That is how this hormone directly relates our project, since it assists in balancing water levels.
Some of the Organs (structures in the body which perform specific functions) involved with maintaining healthy water levels in the body are:
- Kidneys are located near the middle of your back, just below the rib cage. It also absorbs and filters much of the water that has been drank. They filter blood which forms urine.
- The Adrenal Gland produces the ADH hormone that is involved with balancing water levels.
- The skin eliminates excess water and salts in sweat.
- The lungs exhale water vapor and carbon dioxide.
These organs relate to the project we completed because they are all involved in the process of balancing water levels and urination.
Feedback Loops are the amplification of biological inputs and outputs that are caused, or are causing, a certain event or scenario.
A Positive Feedback Loop is amplifies changes and this usually results in moving the state of the matter away from it's stability (making it more unstable). A Negative Feedback Loop is when a change is "buffered" or not amplified on a greater scale and as a result is able to maintain the state if the matter's equilibrium and make it more stable. Our experiment focused on negative feedback loops as we were trying to observe a state of stability or balance. Feedback loops relate to this project because, they allow living organisms to achieve homeostasis.
Independent Variables are what was changed or manipulated. Dependent Variables are the things that were measured or the response. Constants are all of the things that are the same between each run of the experiment. Controls are the baseline that is used to compare everything else to.
- Our Independent Variable was running/exercising
- Our Dependent Variable was the amount of urine expelled from the body
- Our Constants were the amount of water that was drank, time waiting or doing an activity, and the cups in which our test subjects used to record their contributions in
- Our Control was not running
These design aspects of our experiment relate to our project because they structured our entire experiment and what we were testing for.
Reflection
Two things that I did well in this project include leadership and organization. The first skill area that I performed well in was leadership. A specific example of when this skill of mine was used was the first day of the project. My group mates all of a sudden turned to me to give advice and roles for our group when we were assigned to investigate water levels. I was then used as the resource to help proofread work before it went into our final paper and construct all of our documents. This skill came in handy because every group needs someone to take charge and lead them through the project and the problems that occur. The second skill area that I performed well in was organization. A specific time when this skill was showcased was once again at the beginning of the project. The first day I took the liberty of creating a google document and sharing it with my other group members, here we could record all of our preliminary research and findings in a neat and easily obtainable way/ as a point of reference. This skill was useful because having one focal point that was accessible to everyone in the group where their findings could be safely kept was helpful when we started the writing part of this assignment. It also proved an easy place to keep our websites and sources that we used (work cited page at end of report document).
Two skill areas that I still need to work on include communication and time management. The first skill that I still need to work on is communication. A specific event that proved I still needed to work on my communication was actually the last day of our project. I was not at school the day our final draft of the report was due so the burden to get everything polished and finalized was on the other members. Due to the lack of communication between us I ended up having to create a whole new poster for our gallery walk, and talk to my teacher about why our work was not turned in on time (since I thought the other people had already done it). In the future to avoid another situation such as this I will be sure that my group and I are on the same page and understand the tasks and responsibilities for each day we are working. The second skill that I still need to improve upon is time management. Surprisingly this year I have been rather on top of the time given for each project and always on track for the due date; but not this project. A specific example of when this lack of skill proved to be an issue was the first day of testing. Since our experiment relied solely on the bladder of three people, who obviously cannot urinate on demand, we were left with a small time frame of opportunities that which we could experiment. In the end all of our testing was completed in a relatively quick amount of time, but the stress and rushing of trying to get everything done on time made most of the testing unenjoyable. In the future to avoid this problem of rushing, I will make sure that my group and I create a chart that includes all of our times and events for the weeks/days we have to work. This way we will be on a schedule and know what to do at all times.
In conclusion, I had a great time completing this project! I had a lot of fun with the freedom that this project allowed in conducting/designing the experiment, while also the chance to learn about homeostasis. I now feel like I have a good understanding of homeostasis and how the body maintains a healthy balance. Hopefully we can do more projects, such as this one, in the future.
Two things that I did well in this project include leadership and organization. The first skill area that I performed well in was leadership. A specific example of when this skill of mine was used was the first day of the project. My group mates all of a sudden turned to me to give advice and roles for our group when we were assigned to investigate water levels. I was then used as the resource to help proofread work before it went into our final paper and construct all of our documents. This skill came in handy because every group needs someone to take charge and lead them through the project and the problems that occur. The second skill area that I performed well in was organization. A specific time when this skill was showcased was once again at the beginning of the project. The first day I took the liberty of creating a google document and sharing it with my other group members, here we could record all of our preliminary research and findings in a neat and easily obtainable way/ as a point of reference. This skill was useful because having one focal point that was accessible to everyone in the group where their findings could be safely kept was helpful when we started the writing part of this assignment. It also proved an easy place to keep our websites and sources that we used (work cited page at end of report document).
Two skill areas that I still need to work on include communication and time management. The first skill that I still need to work on is communication. A specific event that proved I still needed to work on my communication was actually the last day of our project. I was not at school the day our final draft of the report was due so the burden to get everything polished and finalized was on the other members. Due to the lack of communication between us I ended up having to create a whole new poster for our gallery walk, and talk to my teacher about why our work was not turned in on time (since I thought the other people had already done it). In the future to avoid another situation such as this I will be sure that my group and I are on the same page and understand the tasks and responsibilities for each day we are working. The second skill that I still need to improve upon is time management. Surprisingly this year I have been rather on top of the time given for each project and always on track for the due date; but not this project. A specific example of when this lack of skill proved to be an issue was the first day of testing. Since our experiment relied solely on the bladder of three people, who obviously cannot urinate on demand, we were left with a small time frame of opportunities that which we could experiment. In the end all of our testing was completed in a relatively quick amount of time, but the stress and rushing of trying to get everything done on time made most of the testing unenjoyable. In the future to avoid this problem of rushing, I will make sure that my group and I create a chart that includes all of our times and events for the weeks/days we have to work. This way we will be on a schedule and know what to do at all times.
In conclusion, I had a great time completing this project! I had a lot of fun with the freedom that this project allowed in conducting/designing the experiment, while also the chance to learn about homeostasis. I now feel like I have a good understanding of homeostasis and how the body maintains a healthy balance. Hopefully we can do more projects, such as this one, in the future.