What was the homeostasis investigation lab? This lab was about how the human body maintains homeostasis in many different ways. The group I was in was assigned blood pressure. Blood pressure is the pressure of blood against the walls of the veins or arteries. It is measured in a fraction, the numerator being the systolic pressure and the denominator being the diastolic pressure. The brain controls blood pressure by sending a signal to the hormone ANP, which has control over the dialations of the veins and arteries.
Scientific Method: 1. Ask a question- How does blood pressure exhibit homeostasis in the body? 2. Do background research: We researched what blood pressure actually is, how it works, and how homeostasis is supposedly maintained. 3. Make a hypothesis: If the body's blood pressure spikes or dips, it will always return to a stable level eventually. 4. Conduct an Experiment: In short, we took our blood pressure directly after either exersizing and resting, then again ten minutes later. 5. Analyze data: The data showed the blood pressure in all of us spiked when we ran a lap and dipped when we took naps. In both examples, the pressure returned to normal. For the data table, see the research article above. 6. Conclusion: My group and I concluded that our hypothesis was correct. Although our blood pressure never returned to the exact amount it was before, it still remained stable. 7. Share results: The class did a gallery walk to learn about the different forms of homeostasis in the body.
Concepts Homeostasis: A state of equilibrium internally maintained by living things Blood Pressure: The pressure of blood against the walls of the veins or arteries Systolic Pressure: The pressure in the blood vessels when the heart beats Diastolic Pressure: The pressure in the blood vessels when the heart rests between beats Hypothesis: An educated statement or explanation with limited knowledge involved as a beginning for further research.
Reflection This lab/project was not too challenging. One thing I felt I was good at was staying on task. I never went on my phone or anything and did all my work in good time. Another thing I felt I did well on was getting accurate results. When we spiked our blood pressure by running, we waited a ten minutes every time we tried, which kept the data consistent and accurate. Something i felt I could improve on was the background research. After we did our research, I still did not completely understand how blood pressure functioned in the body. Another factor I could improve on was how I presented the information, since I accidentally mixed up the dependent and independent variable.