GHS Science Department News
January 2017
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The Bradycardia Bunch
(Sing along to the familiar TV show theme song)
Here’s the story … of a slowing heart rate … when a person touches water that is cold.
It’s a way for … the human body … to slow down and try to stay alive.
Having previously determined that humans do exhibit diving bradycardia, students in biology tested temperature, apnea, and water to determine which is the proximate cause of diving bradycardia. Students held their breath, dunked their heads in cold water, or held cold compresses against their heads while having their heart rates measured and then compared these heart rates with normal resting heart rates.
Pendulums in Physical Science
Mr. Baxter’s Physical Science students used the scientific method to determine which factors affect the period of a pendulum’s swing. Strangely enough, the amount of mass attached to the end of the string does not influence how fast or slowly the pendulum swings. And small swings take just as much time as large swings. So what does control the period of a pendulum? You will have to ask Mr. Baxter’s students, or try the experiment yourself!