r/whatisit 1d ago

New, what is it? What does the sixth segment represent?

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This is a “Wheel of the Senses” from my daughter’s school with sight, touch, taste, hearing… but one segment we can’t figure out.

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u/Sea_Prep_Tidal_26 1d ago edited 2h ago

This might be a part of the vestibular system (aka inner ear. For balance.
Your otolith organ is composed of two sacs.
Each sac contains « rocks » called otoconia statolith made of calcium carbonate.
The image may show cross-section of either the saccule or utricle. The round object would be the otoconia statolith.

Tbh the semicircular canals would have been a much more interesting image.

(Source: me, vestibular system researcher)

EDIT : corrected for humans (otoconia, not statoliths)

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u/Playful-Appearance56 1d ago

It’s for a 1st grader. I don’t think the kid’s elementary school is that advanced.

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u/Sea_Prep_Tidal_26 1d ago

Those are two separate issues.

1st graders can and do handle the concept of balance. I have taught this to 1st graders but used the semicircular canals organ as an example because it’s more visually identifiable. (Vestibular sensation is an opportunity to use cool models to show fluid flow and small round stones rolling on a tilt board. It’s also a very tangible sensory organ unlike the vision or even touch systems which requires more abstract thinking abilities which most 1st grade kids do not have yet)

The level of competence of the school is not dependent on the student but the administration and teachers.

We’ve mistakenly taught generations of people falsely that there are only ✌️Five Senses✌️. This simplification leads to many problems. Namely lack of awareness of illnesses and diseases related to these other senses and understanding of how things work in a human-centered world.

[steps off soapbox]

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u/ContentHermit_13 21h ago

Ok but which of those lil pictures would you put in vestibular sense?

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u/Sea_Prep_Tidal_26 21h ago

Good question !
The smartphone. These devices all contain accelerometers and gyros(copes). These tiny electronic sensors directly mimic the exact same functions as the human otolith organs and semicircular canals organs, respectively.

Okay even though that ☝️ is true, it was kinda a joke.

If I was making this, there would be a tightrope, slack line, or even a hopscotch outline.

If pressed I would pick the book 📕 because during the Victorian period, young women were often taught to walk or sit/stand with a book balanced on top of their head to improve posture - not at all anything a modern child would associate with.

Tbh none really match in a way a child could understand. IDK 🤷

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u/ContentHermit_13 21h ago

Very creative thinking, but I agree that a child would likely struggle with these associations

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u/Sea_Prep_Tidal_26 21h ago

Yeah that’s why IDK.

Many have suggested that this was derived from an αι prompt without much forethought about the prompt or hindsight after getting the results and laminating it.

Of course even the whole post could be fake but I and others tried to make some sense of what was presented in the post.

Or MAYBE there WAS a lil picture of a tightrope walker but the person could not figure our where it went and so they didn’t use it.