Homeschool Science Experiment: Dizziness

You don't need access to a laboratory or expensive supplies to include science experiments in your home schooling curriculum. Often you will find you have most, if not all, the materials needed already in your home.

For this experiment all you need is a bit of open space, clear jar or bottle with lid and 1 cup of water.

Step one:

To understand why we get dizzy the first step is to recreate dizziness. Have your child stand in an open area that is safe. Best if outside on grass , however, you can do this experiment inside using common caution to not let the child bump into anything and get hurt. Have the child hold their arms out to their sides and spin around rapidly six times with their eyes open then immediately sit down. Ask the child if they are dizzy and what dizzy feels like to them. Often they will say like the room is spinning around them etc.

Step two: Have your child after resting a minute or two spin again. This time with their eyes closed. (please use caution) . After spinning six times again have them immediately sit down. Have them note and discuss any differences in the level of dizziness.

Step three:

Once the child is no longer dizzy have them put about 1 cup of water into a jar or clear bottle with lid. Fasten lid tightly. Have the child roll the bottle or jar back in forth in their hands for 10 seconds. Set the bottle or jar down immediately. Observe with your child that the bottle or jar is no longer moving but the liquid inside continues moving for a bit.

Step four:

Explanation. When we are spinning our brains attempts to correct the body's balance by releasing and contracting muscles. Our ears have canals with liquid in them. Like the bottle or jar of liquid when we stop spinning the liquid in our ears continues to move and our brain cannot correct the balance. The result is the feeling of dizziness. When the liquid in our ears is still moving and our body is not the brain gets sent confusing messages. Dizziness is the brain's message to the body to stop. Many people mistakenly assume that dizziness is a visual disturbance but rather this experiment proves that the liquid in the ear causes mixed communication about sense of motion to the brain.