Prompt 1

What happens to a human's body temperature change when exposed to very warm temperatures? In 1774 Dr. Matthew Dobson was asking himself this question. He did an experiment where he and his friends stayed in a room that kept getting warmer and warmer. We do not know what Dr. Dobson exact hypothesis. What he found was the body temperature did not change. Did he realize the impact of evaporation on this experiment?

Humans are mammals, which means we are warm blooded. Our body has the ability to maintain its normal temperature, regardless of the outside temperature. In this experiment, the men continued to increase the room temperature. As the room grew warmer, they began to sweat. Sweating is a way for the body to control it's temperature, by cooling the body. As you sweat, your skin gets wet. This leads to evaporation.

The evaporation of the sweat allows the body to control its temperature. During this process, water in the sweat turns into a gas. The gas moves away from the body, taking some heat with it. Sweat glands are in several spots throughout the body including forehead, neck, back, arm pits, chest, and even the feet. As the millions of sweat molecules respond, the body is cooled.

The room conditions for Dr. Dobson's experiment must have been just right. If the environment had been too humid, the results could have been completely different. Under the right conditions, the human body has the ability to control its temperature, and so much more.