Evidence of Work
At the beginning of this project, my group and I had to choose an area from our previous projects in which to make our own product. We chose to further research homeostasis. The project had six stages, each one guiding us to our end goal. This goal was to come up with a blueprint for a product and to make it clear what would need to happen in order to market it. My group and I chose to make a new sports drink which focused more on the biology of homeostasis than taste or short bursts of energy, like most other drinks. We ended up coming up with the idea to make a modular drink. Our design has four sections, each one filled with water. The drink also comes with three packets of powder, like Kool-Aid pouches. Each of these packets has a different focus for homeostasis: potassium levels, sodium levels, and carbohydrate levels. The fourth section is just water, because hydration is the most important. The bottle would have the symptoms of low potassium, sodium, and carbohydrates on it so that the athlete knows which one to drink based on their symptoms. Further details of our project are in the slides below.
At the beginning of this project, my group and I had to choose an area from our previous projects in which to make our own product. We chose to further research homeostasis. The project had six stages, each one guiding us to our end goal. This goal was to come up with a blueprint for a product and to make it clear what would need to happen in order to market it. My group and I chose to make a new sports drink which focused more on the biology of homeostasis than taste or short bursts of energy, like most other drinks. We ended up coming up with the idea to make a modular drink. Our design has four sections, each one filled with water. The drink also comes with three packets of powder, like Kool-Aid pouches. Each of these packets has a different focus for homeostasis: potassium levels, sodium levels, and carbohydrate levels. The fourth section is just water, because hydration is the most important. The bottle would have the symptoms of low potassium, sodium, and carbohydrates on it so that the athlete knows which one to drink based on their symptoms. Further details of our project are in the slides below.
Content
Homeostasis - a state of stability with the body that is proportional to its environment. During our project we demonstrated how the body returns to homeostasis if its environment forces it out. When an athlete works out or exercises, the strain on their body often takes them out of homeostasis. Our drink will focus on keeping them steadily in homeostasis.
Variables - Independent Variable: the independent variable is a part of the experiment that does not change unless the people running the experiment change it. The independent variable in our experiments would be the athletes' environment and how hard they work.
Dependent Variable: the dependent variable changes according to the dependent variable. The dependent variable of our experiments would be the athletes' levels of sodium, potassium, and glucose.
Control: the data point or fact that is compared to the dependent variable to judge results. Our control would be the athletes' levels of sodium, potassium, and glucose before beginning exercise.
Feedback Loop: a feedback loop is a system in the body that reacts to stimulus by either amplifying the system and letting the stimulus continue (positive loop) or inhibiting the system and fighting the stimulus (negative loop). When athletes work out, they sweat. This is a negative feedback loop because the body responds to the stimulus of being hot with sweat, which cools the body down.
Scientific Method - the scientific method is directions on how to conduct and connect research to a hypothesis and design an experiment for any subject. The steps are as follows: Ask a question, Background research, Develop a hypothesis, Design an experiment, Conclusion or communicate your results. My group and I did not get to follow the scientific method during this project because we did not run any tests, and therefore gathered no data.
Homeostasis - a state of stability with the body that is proportional to its environment. During our project we demonstrated how the body returns to homeostasis if its environment forces it out. When an athlete works out or exercises, the strain on their body often takes them out of homeostasis. Our drink will focus on keeping them steadily in homeostasis.
Variables - Independent Variable: the independent variable is a part of the experiment that does not change unless the people running the experiment change it. The independent variable in our experiments would be the athletes' environment and how hard they work.
Dependent Variable: the dependent variable changes according to the dependent variable. The dependent variable of our experiments would be the athletes' levels of sodium, potassium, and glucose.
Control: the data point or fact that is compared to the dependent variable to judge results. Our control would be the athletes' levels of sodium, potassium, and glucose before beginning exercise.
Feedback Loop: a feedback loop is a system in the body that reacts to stimulus by either amplifying the system and letting the stimulus continue (positive loop) or inhibiting the system and fighting the stimulus (negative loop). When athletes work out, they sweat. This is a negative feedback loop because the body responds to the stimulus of being hot with sweat, which cools the body down.
Scientific Method - the scientific method is directions on how to conduct and connect research to a hypothesis and design an experiment for any subject. The steps are as follows: Ask a question, Background research, Develop a hypothesis, Design an experiment, Conclusion or communicate your results. My group and I did not get to follow the scientific method during this project because we did not run any tests, and therefore gathered no data.