Nicholas Academy
Google
 
Web nicholasacademy.com


Science | Science Experiments | 214 - Fooling Your Clock

Time Change Internal Clock Daylight Savings Time
While you may not have thought about it, we do have our own, built-in clocks. This internal clock may not be as accurate as the one on the wall (and mine is definitely a bit slow), but it is surprising how well your body keeps track of time.

 









This Week's Experiment - #214 Fooling Your Clock

We changed to daylight savings time this weekend and I thought that this would be an interesting time to try an experiment with your internal clock. Making the change on April 1, which we celebrate as April Fool's Day in the USA, also seems appropriate. April Fool's Day is a day for playing harmless tricks, so we will try to learn something from the trick Daylight Savings Time plays on your internal clock. You will need:

yourself
a notepad or computer to keep a journal
a clock

While you may not have thought about it, we do have our own, built-in clocks. This internal clock may not be as accurate as the one on the wall (and mine is definitely a bit slow), but it is surprising how well your body keeps track of time. To investigate this, I want you to keep a journal for the coming week. Pay attention to the things that you usually do every day at the same time. For instance, getting up. Whether you are getting up for school or work, you probably get up at the same time on most days. If you are in the USA or other parts of the northern hemisphere that observes daylight savings time, you have probably just set your clock back one hour. That means that if you usually get up at 6:00 AM, your body will think that you are getting up at 5:00 AM instead. Each morning when you get up, notice if you feel more sleepy than usual. Keep track of how many days it takes for you to get your internal clock reset to your new schedule.

You can do the same thing with going to bed. Notice if you get sleepy at an earlier time than you usually do. Pay attention to when you get hungry. You might even keep track of things like remembering your favorite TV show. Do you think of it just as it is going off? If other family members are willing to keep a journal as well, you can compare to see how well each one adapts to the change.

It really is amazing how well your internal clock works. It varies a lot from person to person, but many people will wake up close to the proper time, even if the alarm does not go off. As I child, I would wake up automatically at 6:30 AM every Saturday morning to watch Superman on TV. Of course that did not work for school days, when I would sleep as long as I could.

Your pets have internal clocks too. Our dog Calley knows that her supper time is 6:00 PM and is accurate to within minutes, letting me know that it is time to stop what I am doing and feed her. Pay attention to your dog, cat, fish, etc., and you will probably find that they know when it is feeding time, even before you start to prepare the food. This should be a good week to observe that as well. In fact, our dog Calley is letting me know very strongly that it is time for me to feed her, so I had better get this out and start feeding. Have a good week.

From Robert Krampf's Science Education Company
PO Box 60982
Jacksonville, FL 32236-0982
904-388-6381
krampf@aol.com


Science Experiments Index
211 - 220 221 - 230 231 - 240 241 - 250
251 - 260 261 - 270 271 - 280 281 - 290
291 - 300 301 - 310 311 - 320 321 - 330
331 - 340 341 - 350 351 - 360 361 - 370





Custom Search




Zoobooks Magazine


BookCloseOuts.com


The Space Store

Nicholas Academy Index

Middle Age & Renaissance

Artists, wars, armour, castle games, recipes, geography, quizzes, fashions, pictures of weapons, music, old world maps, women of medieval times, medicine, language, and more.

Foreign Language

Arabic, German, Japanese, Spanish, French, Italian, Latin, Russian. Games, free software downloads, free online lessons, newspapers, discussion groups, articles, history, culture, quizzes.

Language Arts

Play language arts games, improve your vocabulary, create customized puzzles, make your own book! Download free software in the form of shareware, freeware, and demos.

Math

Math games, quizzes, fun websites, printable charts, coloring books, tools. Algebra, geometry, fractions, multiplication.

Music

Play music games, take free music lessons, explore music theory and history, find great posters.

Creativity

Explore animation, filmmaking, build online cities, create and share works of art, write stories, create your own web site, read creativity articles.

Science

Science games and quizzes, fun science websites, posters, coloring books, kits, experiments, forensics labs and more.

Social Studies

Coloring books, countries of the world, games and quizzes, software downloads, posters, computer jigsaw puzzles, printables.

Science Experiments

Science can be fun and understandable. Free Experiment of the Week, featuring experiments that are unusual, safe, dramatic, cheap, and fun. From Robert Kramp's Science Education Co.

Space Items for Kids

Fun and affordable space items for kids, including toys, games, kits, food products, and more.

Fun Science Kits

Educational science kits kids will love! Early science kit, DNA explorer kit, robot challenge, forensic lab, volcano kits, crystals.

Fun Electronic Kits

All in one project labs, light kits, sound kits, motion and metal detectors, clap on/off kit, nerve tester and shocker.

Educational Posters

Civil rights, African American writers, parts of speech, medieval, periodic table of elements, music, astronomy, world maps with flags, literature, poetry, dinosaurs, biology, cats, Japanese anime.

Educational Coloring Books

Coloring books for kids and adults. Civil war, plants, animals, states, middle ages, cultures, geometric designs, puzzles.

Courses

Online, via email or through the regular mail. College, accredited high school, free reading and phonics courses, foreign language, history, religion, and more.

Exercises

Test your knowledge with these fast, fun, and educational quizzes. Roman numeral addition, world capitals, presidents in order, the elements, world flags, and more.

Printables

Roman numerals, addition, multiplication, order of statehood, state and world capitals, order of presidents, chemical elements, parts of speech, spanish numbers.

Useful Tools

Reading systems, loan programs, flashcard, worksheet and test makers, game creators, board games, percentage calculator, puzzle creator, timeline template.

Testing & Assessment

SAT, GED, ACT, practice tests, exam preparation. Standardized test practice, content standards listed by state, sample items, scope and sequence, aptitude, essential skills.

Bargain Books

New and used low cost books and textbooks. Websites with open source books and loan programs.

Website Building

Templates, ideas for personal, educational, children's, business sites, design tips and tools, registration and hosting information, step-by-step instructions, quick and easy web page, web building just for kids.

Freebies & Bargains

Books, posters, videos, software kits, curriculum, courses. Save on teaching supplies, receive free educational materials.

Site Map

This site map lists nearly every page on our site, along with a short description.
   


Educational Poster Store

Hundreds of educational posters in different subject areas. Parts of speech, medieval, solar system, biology, world maps, Einstein, Martin Luther King. Science, math, literature, art, music, english, geography, social studies. If you don't know exactly what you're looking for, this is great to browse for ideas.
NASA Website Links

Educational resources include worksheets such as mazes, coloring pages, shuttle model instructions, crossword puzzles, space food tray instructions and grocery list, and more. See the Space Station Sky Watch, view a NASA Astronaut Application or the Space Shuttle Launch Schedule, learn about the U.S. Space Camp and Women in Spaceflight.
Zoobooks

Get a free Zoobooks issue and a tiger poster. Zoobooks are the all-in-one, everything-you-wanted-to-know but-didn’t-know-who-to-ask guide to the world’s most fascinating animals, birds, reptiles, and insects. For kids five to twelve.



If you have comments, questions, or would like to report a broken link,
please send an email to Cheryl at nicholas230@yahoo.com

© 2000-2010 Nicholas Academy
Nicholas Academy Site Map
privacy policy