Page 127 - The Miracles of Smell and Taste

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ave you ever realized that your senses constantly
warn you against possible dangers from your sur-
roundings? As you cross the road, for example, if you

hear the horn of a car approaching at high speed, you
immediately glance in the direction of the sound and thus avoid an acci-
dent that might otherwise be fatal.
Some dangers, however, are beyond the scope of sight and hearing.
In some situations, the sense of smell successfully performs a warning
function. Of all the potential hazards in your home, you can detect a gas
leak, for example, only through your sense of smell. The first sign of a fire
beyond your field of vision is the smell of smoke. People with weak or
non-existent senses of smell are defenseless in the face of such situations.
Certain electronic devices have been developed to warn against such
dangers. In the designing them, the human sense of smell was taken as
the model. For example, gas or fire detectors produced along these lines
are just crude imitations of the nose.

Fire Detectors
As you know, fire detectors react to smoke particles in the air and
emit a warning alarm. Consider the models that work according to the
principle of ionization. (Figure 20) These devices contain a special detec-
tion compartment filled with ions—electrically charged particles. So long
as clean air enters the device, these particles’ electrical charge remains sta-
ble. In the event that smoke enters, however, the ions are neutralized and
the flow of electrical current is reduced. The drop in the current sets off a
buzzer or other alarm. 105
The special compartment in these electrical devices can be compared

Harun Yahya
(Adnan Oktar)