Ever heard the phrase “blowing hot and cold? Did you know that it may have originated from one of Aesop’s fables. He was a Greek slave and storyteller from between 620 and 564 BCE. His story tells of a man and a satyr ( a woodland God) who made friends. One very cold wintry day, the man blew on his fingers. When the satyr asked him why he had done this, he told him that he did it to warm his hands. Later on in the day they sat down to eat, and the man blew on his food. The satyr again asked why. The man said that he did it to cool down his food, it was so hot.
“I cannot be your friend,” said the Satyr, “a fellow who with the same breath blows hot and cold.”
To help you understand how we manage not to overheat in the hot weather, or freeze in the winter, have a look at Part 1 of our “How to” revision guide on Homeostasis. This guide explains the basics of homeostasis, and what we need to keep the same in the human body. This guide concentrates on thermoregulation:
This will help if you are studying for GCSEs, but is also suitable for A Level students, as sections of the guide go “beyond GCSE”. It includes some example GCSE questions and answers at the end so you can check your understanding of thermoregulation.
Click on the picture below to view our guide.
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