03.

06 Senses (55 Points)

Directions: Test your senses by working through all four activities below. Each activity has multiple parts.

Activity 1: Touch Receptors (10 points total)

Part 1 (4 points): Please list the four sensations detected by the tactile receptors in the skin below. (Hint: See
lesson 3.06 page 3.)
a. pain
b. pressure
c. temperature
d. vibrations

Part 2 (3 points): Have a volunteer touch each of these locations on your body using the same pressure. Close
your eyes and rank how sensitive each area is from 1 (low sensitivity) to 5 (high sensitivity).

Location Ranking
1 (low sensitivity) to 5 (high sensitivity)
Fingertip 4
Heel of hand 3
Forearm 5
Elbow 1
Back of neck 4

Part 3 Questions (3 points): Please answer all of the following questions below in complete sentences.

1. What can you conclude about the density of touch receptors in your skin? (Hint: Consider the
relationship between pressure sensitivity and density of touch receptors.)
The density of touch receptors depends on the location that the pressure is used. For example my
forearm which was a 5 hurt a lot more than my elbow where I barely felt anything.

Activity 2: Vision (15 points total)

Part 1 (6 points): Please label the following image below.

 Anatomy What number is it on the
image above?
Optic Nerve 6
Retina 5
Cornea 2
Lens 3
Pupil 1
Iris 4

Part 2 (4 points): Please complete the following steps below to test the age of your eyes.

1. Hold a pencil or ballpoint pen vertically at arm's length.

2. Close your left eye and focus on the tip.
3. Quickly bring the pencil closer to your eye until it is out of focus.
4. Have your partner measure the distance between your eye and the pencil and record in the table below.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 for both eyes.
6. Try it with and without glasses (if you wear glasses).
7. Please use the table below to estimate the age of your eyes using the centimeters you measured.

Age of Your Eyes

Centimeters 9 10 13 18 50 83
Age of Eyes 10 20 30 40 50 60

What was the "age" of your eyes according to the table above and your data?
CM Age of your eye
Right Eye 8 9
Right Eye (with glasses) 10 20
Left Eye 7 8
Left Eye (with glasses) 9 10

Part 3 Questions (5 points): Please answer all of the following questions below in complete sentences.

1. According to your data, how does the “age of your eyes” compare to your actual age?
The age of my eyes compared to my actual age differ because I am 16 years old. My right eye with
glasses is the closest to my age. and my left eye without glasses is the furthest from my age.

2. Describe how the eye processes what it sees. (Hint: See lesson page 3.)
 The retina is the light-sensitive layer of nerve tissue at the back of the eye that receives images
and sends them as electric signals through the optic nerve. When light focuses on the retina
cells called photoreceptors turn the light into electrical signals and these signals travel to the
brain, turning the signals into images.
3. Name one age-related vision problem and explain what causes it. (Hint: Read this article.)
Presbyopia is a more common vision problem once you hit 40 and can even happen earlier than that,
you just may not notice it until around 40. Presbyopia is caused by the weakening of ciliary
muscles and diminishing flexibility of the eye lens.

Activity 3: Hearing and Balance (15 points total)

Part 1 (9 points): Please label the following image below.

Anatomy What number is it in the

image above?
Pinna 1
Tympanic membrane 3
Oval window 5
Semicircular canals 8
Eustachian tube 9
Ear canal 2
Ear ossicles 7
Cochlea 6
Cochlear nerve 4

Part 2 (2 points): Please complete the following steps below to test your sense of balance.

1. Stand near your partner. Have your partner record the length and quality of your attempts.
2. Bend your right leg and hold your foot in your right hand.
3. Balance like this as long as you can (minimum 30 seconds).
a. Record the answers in the table below.
4. Try the same pose, but close both of your eyes.
 5. Again, have your partner nearby recording your attempts.
b. Record the answers in the table below.
6. Balance for as long as possible.
7. Try the same pose, but close your eyes and tilt your head back slowly.
8. Again, have your partner nearby recording your attempts.
c. Record the answers in the table below.
9. Balance for as long as possible.

Stance Time (minutes) Stability

(High--medium--low)
Standing on one foot 56.7seconds high
One foot, eyes closed 38.3 seconds medium
One foot, eyes closed, head 19 seconds low
back

Part 3 Questions (4 points): Please answer all of the following questions below in complete sentences.

1. Which stance made it the hardest to balance?

Stance three because having my head back and eyes closed does not give me a spot to look at which I
learned in dance, when I spot something during turns I stay steady.

2. Balance depends on information your brain receives from your eyes, muscles, and the semicircular
canals in your ear. The 3 semicircular canals are filled with fluid and small hairs, and they are aligned at
right angles to each other. When the head moves, the fluid in the canals moves the hairs and a nerve
impulse is sent to the brain. With this information, please explain in detail why spinning makes you
dizzy.
Spinning makes you feel dizzy because if the fluid inside your ears moves faster than it can keep up
with or unusually fast, the fluid will signal the hairs which will throw your balance off. therefore when fluid
builds up, it affects balance and hearing signals.

Activity 4: Taste and Smell (15 points total)

Part 1 (4 points): Please label the following image below.

 Taste Location
Salty 3
Bitter 1
Sweet 4
Sour 2

Part 2 (5 points): Please complete the following steps below to test your sense of taste.
1. Pick 4 liquids (that are safe for consumption) to test on a volunteer.
2. Obtain a few sterile swabs.
3. Place a small amount of each solution into separate cups (don't tell what liquids you’re using).
4. Using one solution at a time, dip a swab and run it along your volunteer's tongue.
5. Repeat the process again, having your volunteer plug his or her nose during the tasting.

Type of Liquid Taste Type Taste Type

(Sweet-sour-salty-bitter-umami) (with nose plugged)
sweet tea sweet sweet
fruit punch sweet sweet
lemonade sour bitter
black coffee bitter sour

Part 3 Questions (6 points): Please answer all of the following questions below in complete sentences.

1. Use your lesson notes to explain the results for the taste sensations in each of the regions of your
tongue?
Tongues have taste buds, also known as papillae cells in a bundle. In each region of your tongue, the
cells recognize sweet, sour, salty, or bitter so that we can identify what we're consuming.

2. Your tongue is covered in bumps called papillae. Papillae have taste receptors that are bundled
together (taste buds). Taste buds have microscopic hairs called microvilli which send nerve impulses to
the brain. However, your nose plays a role too! While you’re chewing, the food releases chemicals that
travel up your nose and trigger olfactory receptors which also send nerve impulses to the brain to help
you interpret the true flavor of what you’re eating. With this information, explain why a cold or
allergies can diminish the flavor of your food.
A cold can diminish the flavor of your food because when you smell food, you are smelling the molecules that
have been released from the food. We tend to match a smell with a taste and when we don't have a sense of
smell , this cannot happen.