SENSORY ORGAN - eye (sight)
Our fourth sensory organ to explore is the eye. We began this study of our sense of sight by asking questions we want to know about the eye. The 5th grade class will generate many questions about the eye and our sense of sight. As we find the answers to these questions they will be posted here and in the classroom.
Study Guides:The Eye: anatomy study guide
Anatomy of the Eye worksheet
Bill Nye: The Science Guy - Eyeballs worksheet answer key
Interactive Study Guide from the Exploratorium
Videos We Watched in Class
Eyes: KidsHealth.org
Bill Nye: The Science Guy - Eyeballs (Full Episode)
Cow's Eye Dissection from the Exploratorium
Bill Nye: The Science Guy - Light and Color (Full Episode)
Class Assignment:
Study the Anatomy of the Eye worksheet
Study the Anatomy of the Eye - form and function
Study Bill Nye the Science Guy Eyeball worksheet
Exploration/Lab We Did In Class:
Optical Illusions: We looked at pictures that are tests for color blindness, confused our eyes/brains, and tested our perceptions:
The third finger: your brain and eyes can become confused. Try bringing your two pointer fingers together close in front of your face. You should see a third "ghost" finger appear as you bring your fingers closer together and closer to your face.
Making a lens out of a plastic bag: fill a plastic bag with some water. How does it change the image of an object? Can you get the "lens" to focus on different distant objects simply by changing its shape?
Exploring with Blind Spots and Depth Perception by Neuroscience for Kids
Others from Neuroscience for Kids
Amazing Facts About Your Eye and Sense of Sight
Reference
Other Cool Websites:
Seeing Color
How animals see the world
The human eye
Your Questions Answered:
Cool Concepts:
1. Light travels in straight paths away from a source of illumination in all directions until it hits an object. Some sources of illumination produce their own light (for example, the sun, fire, light bulb); other sources of illumination reflect light produced by something else (for example, the moon or a mirror).
2. Light interacts with objects in various ways; it can be reflected off the object, absorbed by the object, or refracted through the object.
3. Materials can be classified based on how much light passes through them. Transparent materials allow most light to pass through them. Translucent materials allow some light to pass through them. Opaque materials do not allow any light to pass through them.
4. Objects that have flat, smooth surfaces reflect light and produce a mirror-like image. Objects that have curved or uneven surfaces scatter the reflected light and produce distorted or blurry images.
5. Light always reflects away from a mirror at the same angle that it hits the mirror. The angle of incoming light equals the angle of reflected light.
6. Objects that block light traveling from a source produce shadows. The shape, length, direction and clarity of a shadow depend on the shape and position of the object, and the location of the light source.
7. Light changes direction (“refracts”) as it passes from one transparent material to another, for example, as it passes from air to water or through lenses.
Study Guides:The Eye: anatomy study guide
Anatomy of the Eye worksheet
Bill Nye: The Science Guy - Eyeballs worksheet answer key
Interactive Study Guide from the Exploratorium
Videos We Watched in Class
Eyes: KidsHealth.org
Bill Nye: The Science Guy - Eyeballs (Full Episode)
Cow's Eye Dissection from the Exploratorium
Bill Nye: The Science Guy - Light and Color (Full Episode)
Class Assignment:
Study the Anatomy of the Eye worksheet
Study the Anatomy of the Eye - form and function
Study Bill Nye the Science Guy Eyeball worksheet
Exploration/Lab We Did In Class:
Optical Illusions: We looked at pictures that are tests for color blindness, confused our eyes/brains, and tested our perceptions:
- Blue and Green color blindness
- How many triangles?
- Moving circles
- Legs on an elephant
- How many faces do you see?
- Camouflage and cone fatigue
The third finger: your brain and eyes can become confused. Try bringing your two pointer fingers together close in front of your face. You should see a third "ghost" finger appear as you bring your fingers closer together and closer to your face.
Making a lens out of a plastic bag: fill a plastic bag with some water. How does it change the image of an object? Can you get the "lens" to focus on different distant objects simply by changing its shape?
Exploring with Blind Spots and Depth Perception by Neuroscience for Kids
Others from Neuroscience for Kids
Amazing Facts About Your Eye and Sense of Sight
- Eyes detect light and allow us to see.
- The information our eyes receive is sent to our brain along the optic nerve. This information is then processed by our brain and helps us make appropriate decisions, for example if you can see an object flying in your direction then you will probably move quickly out of the way.
- Around 95% of animals have eyes. Some are very simple, just picking up light and dark conditions while others are more complex, allowing for the recognition of shapes, color and depth.
- Like humans, some animals have eyes placed close together that allow for improved depth perception, others have eyes spread further apart (often on opposite sides of their head, as in horses) to allow for a greater field of view and an early warning against potential predators.
- The light sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of your eye is known as the retina, acting in a similar way to film in a traditional camera.
- Cone cells in the retina detect color while rod cells detect low light contrasts.
- The part of the eye that allows us to focus on different things in known as the lens, it changes shapes so we can focus on objects at various distances.
- The cornea is the transparent covering of the iris and pupil, along with the lens it refracts light so it can be projected onto the retina.
- The central opening of your eye is known as the pupil, it changes size depending on the amount of light.
- The colored area around the pupil is called the iris, it controls the size of the pupil and can be colored brown, blue, green or other colors and shades depending on the person.
- Scientists believe that animal eyes evolved around 500 million years ago, beginning in simple form (perhaps just distinguishing light and dark) but giving a distinct advantage. This advantage led to eyes evolving quickly amongst animals (by evolutionary standards) as those without the ability to see struggled to survive against those that could.
- Throughout the animal kingdom there are many different types of eyes, for example the human eye is very different to the compound eye of a fly which is better at detecting fast movements.
- Human eyes contain a small blind spot where the optic nerve passes through the retina. Our brains use information from the other eye to fill in the vision gap so it is rarely, if ever, noticed.
- Glasses and other protective equipment are often worn by humans to protect the eyes from UV rays or during various dangerous activities such as welding.
- Glasses and contact lenses are worn to correct common sight conditions such as short and long sightedness.
Reference
Other Cool Websites:
Seeing Color
How animals see the world
The human eye
Your Questions Answered:
Cool Concepts:
1. Light travels in straight paths away from a source of illumination in all directions until it hits an object. Some sources of illumination produce their own light (for example, the sun, fire, light bulb); other sources of illumination reflect light produced by something else (for example, the moon or a mirror).
2. Light interacts with objects in various ways; it can be reflected off the object, absorbed by the object, or refracted through the object.
3. Materials can be classified based on how much light passes through them. Transparent materials allow most light to pass through them. Translucent materials allow some light to pass through them. Opaque materials do not allow any light to pass through them.
4. Objects that have flat, smooth surfaces reflect light and produce a mirror-like image. Objects that have curved or uneven surfaces scatter the reflected light and produce distorted or blurry images.
5. Light always reflects away from a mirror at the same angle that it hits the mirror. The angle of incoming light equals the angle of reflected light.
6. Objects that block light traveling from a source produce shadows. The shape, length, direction and clarity of a shadow depend on the shape and position of the object, and the location of the light source.
7. Light changes direction (“refracts”) as it passes from one transparent material to another, for example, as it passes from air to water or through lenses.