Research Article

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The Body Maintains Balance in Fluid Levels

BRYCE BERNALES, JACKSON HILTON, RACHEL LOBL, ROBERT ORTA
STEM Marin, San Marin High School, Novato, California, 94945

Abstract
The human body has the ability to maintain its water balance, utilizing a process called
homeostasis. We tested the rate at which the body expels water with respect to the
amount consumed. After consuming various amount of water (up to 600mL), we
measured the time the subject could wait before urinating. Our experiment showed that
drinking more water causes the subject to have a greater urge to urinate. We also found
that drinking 150mL of water with breakfast will last until lunchtime without the need for
urination.

Introduction This experiment requires water, a measuring

Homeostasis is the process in which the body
maintains a balance in all of its systems.1 For
fluids, this maintenance is done by the
kidneys. They extract excess water from the
blood stream, and eject it from the body via
urination.2 When our water levels drop,
causing dehydration, it can result in a fatal
drop in blood pressure. Our main source of
water is drinking, followed by the small
amounts in food.3 From 2005 - 2010, the
average youth in the United States consumed
450mL of water per day, while the average
adult consumed over a liter.4
We are attempting to show that the
human body can maintain homeostasis as it
relates to fluid balance. We predicted that
drinking more water would cause the body to
urinate more quickly.
Methods
cup for cup, and a watch.
Record time of day, as well as the
water and food consumed that day for each of
the test subjects. Each test subject must drink
their assigned amount of water none,
150mL, 300mL, 450mL, or 600mL. Right
after drinking, the test subjects will set a timer
on their phones for themselves. When they get
the urge to urinate, they will go to use the
restroom and stop the timer before they
urinate. They will record the time. Once all of
the data is collected, compare and analyze the
data.
In our experiment, our testers
themselves took their own data, and recorded
the times and observations with their
smartphones, sharing it with the rest of the
group after they were done testing. We also
measured the water the testers drank with a
measuring cup, and took the differences of
times the testers drank and peed in order to
find the correlation.
Results Some improvements that could have
Through our experiment, we discovered that bettered our experiment would have been to
drinking water has a direct correlation to the be able to test more people. This would have
time it takes for the body to signal the need to given us much more accurate data. We also
urinate. The more one drinks, the sooner the could have used a more precise measuring
bladder sends a signal to the brain to get rid of system testing how long it would take for test
the water through urination. subjects to use the restroom in correlation to
what they ate or drank beforehand.
Amt. Errors that were made could have been
Test Time
Water D/U* Notes in the amount of water we drank. While
Subject (H:MM)
(mL) measuring we used a dry measuring cup which
1 0 5:05 D little thirst made it difficult to pour into the water bottle
no signs of and some spilled. Another error made was the
2 150 4:39 D dehydration until lack of accounting for the differences in our
12:40 test subjects. Weight, height, physical activity,
3 300 1:31 U and overall fitness are variables not accounted
mild/moderate
for in the experiment and could influence the
urges to pee results. Since an individual requires a certain
4 450 1:02 U immediately after, amount of water that differs from another
and before individual the quantity of excess water in each
drinking,
of our test subjects would differ. The amount
urges to of physical activity would also be inconsistent
5 600 0:53 U regurgitate, sore
in the test subjects resulting in a difference in
stomach
water loss due to sweat. Although the food
*Drink (D) means that the subject drank water instead
of urinating due to dehydration. Urinate (U) means that eaten before and during the experiment were
the subject needed to urinate to remove excess water recorded, more detail would be required to use
from their system. it to analyze data.
To further investigate this experiment,
Discussion we could analyze the correlation between the
This data proves homeostasis because it shows time it took to urinate and the weight the
that the body expels fluid quicker when it has subject has. Another method we could do is
more of it. This shows that the body attempts to test how different foods or liquids eaten
to maintain a consistent water level by beforehand can affect the time taken to
ejecting excess fluid. It also showed that urinate.
drinking 150mL of water with breakfast is
enough to last until lunch without producing a Implications
need to urinate. The data shows that the more water a person
The most successful part of this drinks, the more water they expel. This is
experiment was our data collection. We were proof of homeostasis in the human body since
able to eliminate several variables, and we more excess water results in the body
made few errors in following our procedure.
removing more water through urination. This
data can be used to explain how water levels
in the body, if increased too much, will see a
decrease very soon after the increase. We can
also use this data to act as a control for other
experiments, or compare it to experiments
whose dependent variable is weight to make
sense of the data.

References
1. Homeostasis. Dictionary.com,
Dictionary.com,
www.dictionary.com/browse/homeostasis.
2. GCSE Bitesize: Water balance. BBC, BBC,
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/a
dd_ocr_pre_2011/homeostasis/waterbalrev1.s
html.
3. Spector, Dina. Here's how many days a
person can survive without water. Business
Insider, Business Insider, 9 May 2014,
www.businessinsider.com/how-many-days-
can-you-survive-without-water-2014-5.
4. Nutrition. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 12 May 2017,
5. www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/plain-
water-the-healthier-choice.html.