CHAPTER 1: The World Through Our Senses

SCIENCE (Form 2)

1.1 Sensory Organs and Their Functions

1. Human beings have five sensory organs. (Skin, Eye, Ear, Nose, Tongue) 2. The sensory organs detect stimuli and changes in the environment, and then pass

them to the brain for interpretation and any necessary action.

3. The nervous system is responsible for detecting stimuli and changes in the

environment and sending information to the brain for interpretation. 4. The nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord and the nerves. Stimulus

Sensory organs

Response

Sensory nerves
Nervous impulses

Motor nerves Brain/ Spinal cord

Nervous impulses

Central nervous system

CHAPTER 1: The World Through Our Senses

SCIENCE (Form 2)

1.2 Sense of Touch 1The skin is the sensory organ of touch 2Five types receptor for detecting of touchpaincoldheat and pressure 3Sensitivity of skin depends on a) thickness of epidermis(the thinner the epidermis, the more sensitive the skin is) b) amount of receptors(the more receptors in an area, the more sensitive the skin is)

1.3 Sense of Smell 1. The nose is the sensory organ of smell. 2. Smell receptors or sensory cells in the nasal passage are connected by nerves to the brain 3. The smell detection mechanism
Chemicals enter the nose Chemicals dissolve in the mucus Chemicals stimulate the sensory cells

Nervous impulses are sent along nerves to the brain

Sensory cells produce nervous impulses

Brain interprets the impulses as a certain smell.

CHAPTER 1: The World Through Our Senses

SCIENCE (Form 2)

1.4 Sense of Taste 1. The tongue is the sensory organ of taste 2. It is able to detect and differentiate tastes such as sweetsalty, sour and bitter 3. Taste receptors are sensitive towards one specific taste
Food (stimulus) Bitter Sour Saliva dissolves food The brain interprets the impulses The taste is identified (response)

Salty Sweet

Chemicals in food stimulate taste buds

Taste buds send nervous impulses to the brain

4. Our sense of taste is aided by our sense of smell. Food becomes less tasty when

we have a common cold because our nose is blocked with mucus and we cannot smell the food well. 5. The taste of food also influenced by the sight of food. Food doesnt taste delicious if we do not see it. 6. Saliva is produced by the salivary glands in the mouth. An object has no taste if does not dissolves in the saliva.

CHAPTER 1: The World Through Our Senses

SCIENCE (Form 2)

1.5 Sense of Hearing 1. The ear is the sensory organ of hearing and balance.

2. The functions of different parts of the ear Part of the ear Ear pinna Auditory canal Eardrum Ear ossicles Middle ear Oval window Eustachian tube Function Collects and channels sound waves into auditory canal Directs sound waves to eardrum Vibrates when sound waves hit it Amplify the vibrations and send them to oval window (stirrup, anvil, hammer) Sends sound vibrations from middle ear to inner ear Maintains air pressure on both sides of eardrum Helps in balancing the body Changes impulses sound Vibrations to nerve

Outer ear

Semicircular canal Inner ear Cochlea Auditory nerves

Send nerve impulses from cochlea to the brain

CHAPTER 1: The World Through Our Senses

SCIENCE (Form 2)

3The hearing mechanism

Sound

Detected by

Ear piana

Auditory canal
Sound waves

Eardrum
Vibrations

Ossicles

Brain

Auditory nerves

Nerve impulses

Cochlea

Oval window

1.6 Sense of Sight 1. The eye is the sensory organ of sight.

The structure of the human eye

CHAPTER 1: The World Through Our Senses

SCIENCE (Form 2)

2. The functions of different parts of the eye. Part of the eye Sclera Function
Maintains the shape of the eye

Protects the eye Choroid Supplies oxygen and nutrient Absorbs light Prevents light reflection Detects light stimulus Helps to focus the light onto the retina Controls the size of pupil Controls the amount of light entering the eyes Holds the lens in place Refracts and focuses light onto retina Detects light and converts to nerve impulses Not sensitive to 1ight Sends nerve impulse to the brain Helps focus onto the retina

Retina Cornea Iris Pupil Suspensory ligament Eye lens Yellow spot Blind spot Optic nenve Aqueous humour Vitreous humour

Helps focus light onto the retina Maintains the shape of the eyeball Changes the focus by adjusting the thickness of the Ciliary body lens 3. The mechanism of sight 4. Light
Detected by

Cornea

Aqueous humour

Pupil

Eye lens

Brain

Optical nerves

Retina

Vitreous humour

1.7 Light and Sight

CHAPTER 1: The World Through Our Senses

SCIENCE (Form 2)

1. Reflection and refraction of light

a) b)
I.

Light moves in a straight line which causes formation of shadow Reflection of light occurs when light rays are reflected by opaque surface.
Smooth and shiny surfaces reflect light rays in a parallel manner (regular reflection)

II. Uneven and rough surfaces reflect light rays in non-parallel manner (irregular reflection)

c)

Refraction of tight occurs when light travels, through two different media of different densities. Phenomena caused by refraction:
I.

d)

an object under water appears to be nearer to the surface.

II. a straw appears to be bent in water. III. a star seems to be higher.

2. Defects of vision and ways to correct them

3. Limitations of sight:

CHAPTER 1: The World Through Our Senses

SCIENCE (Form 2)

(a) Cannot see very tiny or very far objects (b) Optical illusions

Brain cannot interpret accurately what the eyes see

(c) Blind spot

Image filling on the blind spot cannot be detected

(d) Stereoscopic vision Visual field is narrow

(e) Monocular vision Visual field is wide

4. Optical devices to overcome the limitations of sight:

1.8 Sound and Hearing 1. Properties of sound: (a) Sound is produced by vib,rations (b) Sound cannot travel through vacuum (c) Sound can be reflected by hard and smooth surfaces; echo is produced when sound is reflected. (d) Sound is absorbed by soft and rough surfaces. 2. Defects of hearing: (a) Torn eardrum (b) Fused ear ossicles

CHAPTER 1: The World Through Our Senses

SCIENCE (Form 2)

(c) Damaged cochlea (d) Damaged auditory nerve 3. Stereophonic hearing: (a) Hearing with both ears (b) Can tell the direction of the source of sound 1.9 Stimuli and responses in plants 1. Stimuli and response in plants: (a) Tropism: response of plants to external stimuli. (b) Positive tropism: response by plant towards the stimuli (c) Negative tropism: response by plant away from the stimuli (d) Nastic movement: response of plants towards touch, does not depend on the direction of stimuli