Hooked on Science: Single-eye catch

Materials

• Cone-shaped party hat
• Styrofoam ball

Instructions

• STEP 1: Using the scissors, cut the tip off the cone-shaped party hat.
• STEP 2: Have a friend place the hat over their face so they can see through the hole at the end of the hat.
• STEP 3: Encourage your friend to catch the styrofoam ball. What happens? Construct an argument that humans have internal and external structures to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction.

Explanation

The cone-shaped party hat forces you to see with only one eye at a time. When this happens, you can't properly judge distance, making it difficult to catch the styrofoam ball. The optic nerve sends signals from the eye to the brain, which then interprets what we see.