LESSON 9. Our Senses

 

Reading

Our Senses

 

We learn about the world around us through our five senses. We believe what our senses tell us. But sometimes they play tricks on us

For instance, look at these two lines.

.

figure 1

 

Can you tell which line is longer? Most people will say the bottom line is longer than the top line. Now find a ruler and measure the lines. They are the same length.

Look at Figure 2. There are three perfect circles in the picture, but only the outside circle appears to be perfect.

Let's do an experiment with the sense of touch. Don't forget to follow the directions carefully.

 

You need:

Three large bowls

Ice cubes

Hot, warm, and cold water

A watch with a second hand

 

Directions:

1. Fill the first bowl with hot water. Fill the second bowl with warm water. Fill the third bowl with cold water and ice cubes.

2. Put your left hand into the hot water and your right hand into the cold water for 15 seconds.

3. Now quickly put both hands into the warm water.

 

Does the water feel the same to both hands? No. The water feels cold to one hand and hot to the other. Do you know why? Our bodies don't measure temperature. They measure change in temperature. What we feel is just the speed of change. When you hand is giving away heat, it feels cold. When your hand is getting heat, it feels hot.

We get information by way of our five senses. But there is one more step. It is our brains that tell us what the information means. Here is a good example.

 

Read this sign out loud.

 

The lion

is

king

of the

the jungle

 

What did you read? Most people will read, "The lion is king of the jungle" because that makes sense. "The lion is king of the the jungle" does not make sense. So our brains leave out the extra 'the'.

Our senses do a wonderful job of giving us information about the world around us. However, we don't know exactly how they do the job. We do know our brains have a lot to do with what we sense. And we know that sometimes our senses fool us. But a lot of thing remain unknown. Maybe someday you will become a scientist and unlock the secrets of our senses.

 

 

Dialogue 1

상호와 인수가 아인슈타인에 대해 이야기하고 있다.

 

Sang-ho : Who do you think is the greatest scientist that ever lived?

In-su : Einstein. His ideas changed the world.

Sang-ho : I'd like to be a scientist someday.

In-su : In that case I have some advice for you. Don't stop asking questions.

Sang-ho : My teacher said the same thing. He told us not to stop asking, "Is this really true?"

 

Dialogue 2

인수가 색맹 검사를 받고 있다.

 

Mr. Hong : Please look at this card. Then read the number you see. Do you understand what I mean?

In-su : Yes. Is this an experiment?

Mr. Hong : No. What makes you think so? It's just a simple test.

In-su : What kind of test?

Mr. Hong : It's a test for color blindness. Do you see a number?

In-su : I see a 7.

Mr. Hong : Good. You're not color blind.