A Wonderleaf question
Why do we get dizzy when we spin?
a real page from the book
Spinning makes liquid inside the semicircular canals of the inner ear move, and that liquid helps your brain track turns. When a child stops, the liquid keeps drifting for a moment, so the ears report motion while the eyes and feet report stillness. That mismatch is dizziness.
Those canals are three tiny loops at right angles, so they can notice nodding, tipping, and turning. The same rule that slides you against a seat belt during a sudden stop, inertia, is also keeping that ear-liquid moving after the game ends.
Wonder words
- canals
- inertia
- balance
- signals
Try it out
Spin slowly three times, stop, and compare what your eyes, feet, and head seem to be telling you.
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