This Week's Experiment - #324 Tummy Rumbles
This week's experiment came to me as I was thinking about food. I was
trying to decide what to cook for supper when suddenly my belly made a
rumbling growl. Instantly, I knew what I would do for this week's
experiment. You will need:
food that you really like
The first thing to do is to place your hand on your stomach. Go ahead, do
it right now. Are you ready? Do you have your hand on your stomach? Are
you sure? Unless you know your insides pretty well, you probably have your
hand in the wrong spot. Most people put their hand on their belly, just
above their navel. That is not where your stomach is.
To find your stomach, place your right hand over your heart. Ahh, got you
again. Your heart is not on the left side of your chest. Actually, your
heart is in the center. It is tilted, so you hear it more on the left side,
but it is in the middle.
OK, back to finding your stomach. Place your hand on the left side of your
chest, as most people do when they think they are putting their hand over
their heart. Then move your hand down about 2 or 3 inches. Your little
finger should be just about on the bottom of your rib cage. If you press
in, you should feel ribs under your fingers. Your wrist should be just to
the right of the center. Now, your hand is just about where your stomach
is.
Well, if your stomach is up there, what is in your belly, where you put your
hand the first time? It is your intestines. When your tummy rumbles and
you say that your stomach is growling, it is probably your intestines
instead.
To test that, wait until you are hungry. Then we will use your favorite
food to get the rumbles started. If you are really hungry, just thinking
about food will do it. If you are not quite that hungry, you may need to
smell it or see it. Don't eat any yet. Wait until you hear and feel the
rumbles. Where are they located? Some of the sound may be coming from
your stomach, but most of it is probably coming from your intestines. Your
body is preparing for the food. Your digestive system is becoming more
active, with the muscles squishing things around more and more digestive
juices flowing. That gets things sloshing around and gives you all sorts of
interesting noises.
When you are through listening to your body, then you get to eat the food
that caused the sounds. Who said science wasn't any fun?
Have a wonderful week.
From Robert Krampf's Science Education Company
PO Box 60982
Jacksonville, FL 32236-0982
904-388-6381
krampf@aol.com
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