Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Circles

Circles

A circle in the coordinate plane is defined as the set of all points that lie at a constant distance, known as the radius, from a fixed point called the center. This relationship is captured using the distance formula. For a point (x, y) on the circle and a center (h, k), the distance between them equals the radius r. By squaring both sides of the distance formula, the equation of the circle is written in standard form:Constructing the Equation from Geometric InformationIf the center and the...

Types Of Collisions - I

Types Of Collisions - I

When two objects come in direct contact with each other, it is called a collision. During a collision, two or more objects exert forces on each other in a relatively short amount of time. A collision can be categorized as either an elastic or inelastic collision. If two or more objects approach each other, collide and then bounce off, moving away from each other with the same relative speed at which they approached each other, the total kinetic energy of the system is said to be conserved. This...

Non-uniform Circular Motion

Non-uniform Circular Motion

In uniform circular motion, the particle executing circular motion has a constant speed, and the circle is at a fixed radius. However, not all circular motion occurs at a constant speed. A particle can travel in a circle and speed up or slow down, showing an acceleration in the direction of motion. In that case, the motion is called non-uniform circular motion, and an additional acceleration is introduced, which is in the direction tangential to the circle.
For example, such accelerations...

Rolling Without Slipping

Rolling Without Slipping

People have observed the rolling motion without slipping ever since the invention of the wheel. For example, one can look at the interaction between a car's tires and the surface of the road. If the driver presses the accelerator to the floor so that the tires spin without the car moving forward, there must be kinetic friction between the wheels and the road's surface. If the driver slowly presses the accelerator, causing the car to move forward, the tires roll without slipping. It is essential...

Types of Collisions - II

Types of Collisions - II

When two or more objects collide with each other, they can stick together to form one single composite object (after collision). The total mass of the object after the collision is the sum of the masses of the original objects, and it moves with a velocity dictated by the conservation of momentum. Although the system's total momentum remains constant, the kinetic energy decreases, and thus such a collision is an inelastic collision. Most of the collisions between objects in daily life are...

Dynamics of Circular Motion

Dynamics of Circular Motion

An object undergoing circular motion, like a race car, is accelerating because it is changing the direction of its velocity. This centrally directed acceleration is called centripetal acceleration. This acceleration acts along the radius of the curved path (thus is also referred to as radial acceleration).
Any acceleration must be produced by some force. Therefore, any force or combination of forces can cause centripetal acceleration. A few examples include the tension in the rope on a...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The effects of self-report rating scales on the assessment of motion sickness.

Ergonomics·2026

Same author

Motion sickness induced by periodic accelerations: Effects of motion axis, frequency, and acceleration magnitude.

Journal of vestibular research : equilibrium & orientation·2026

Same author

Facial skin temperature as a biomarker for motion sickness.

Applied ergonomics·2026

Same author

Dynamic sensor adaptation based on efferent feedback for adaptive bio-inspired sound source localization.

Frontiers in neuroscience·2026

Same author

The role of auditory and haptic cues in object enumeration within containers.

Experimental brain research·2026

Same author

"Definitely a toaster": Identifying container contents by touch and sound.

Perception·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Exergaming in Older People Living with HIV Improves Balance, Mobility and Ameliorates Some Aspects of Frailty

Exergaming in Older People Living with HIV Improves Balance, Mobility and Ameliorates Some Aspects of Frailty

Published on: October 6, 2016

Walking straight into circles.

Jan L Souman¹, Ilja Frissen, Manish N Sreenivasa

¹Multisensory Perception and Action Group, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Spemannstrasse 41, 72076 Tübingen, Germany. jan.souman@tuebingen.mpg.de

Current Biology : CB

|August 25, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

People often walk in circles when lost in unfamiliar terrain, especially without sun visibility. This study confirms this behavior is due to sensorimotor noise, not biomechanical biases.

More Related Videos

Automated Visual Cognitive Tasks for Recording Neural Activity Using a Floor Projection Maze

Automated Visual Cognitive Tasks for Recording Neural Activity Using a Floor Projection Maze

Published on: February 20, 2014

A Training Program Using an Agility Ladder for Community-Dwelling Older Adults

A Training Program Using an Agility Ladder for Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Published on: March 7, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Exergaming in Older People Living with HIV Improves Balance, Mobility and Ameliorates Some Aspects of Frailty

Exergaming in Older People Living with HIV Improves Balance, Mobility and Ameliorates Some Aspects of Frailty

Published on: October 6, 2016

Automated Visual Cognitive Tasks for Recording Neural Activity Using a Floor Projection Maze

Automated Visual Cognitive Tasks for Recording Neural Activity Using a Floor Projection Maze

Published on: February 20, 2014

A Training Program Using an Agility Ladder for Community-Dwelling Older Adults

A Training Program Using an Agility Ladder for Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Published on: March 7, 2020

Area of Science:

Human locomotion
Environmental psychology
Sensorimotor neuroscience

Background:

Popular belief suggests humans walk in circles when disoriented in unfamiliar environments.
Empirical data supporting this common belief is lacking, despite its prevalence in popular culture.

Purpose of the Study:

To empirically investigate human ability to maintain a straight course in unfamiliar terrains.
To identify the underlying mechanisms causing deviations from a straight walking path.

Main Methods:

Participants walked for several hours in a forest and the Sahara desert, with trajectories recorded using global positioning system (GPS).
Experiments included conditions with and without sun visibility.
Blindfolded walking tests were conducted to assess sensorimotor system performance.

Main Results:

Participants repeatedly walked in circles when the sun was not visible.
With sun visibility, participants deviated but did not consistently walk in circles.
Blindfolded participants walked in small circles (< 20 m diameter), but direction was not systematic.

Conclusions:

The tendency to walk in circles is not due to biomechanical asymmetries or general biases.
Deviations from a straight path result from accumulating noise in the sensorimotor system.
External directional cues are necessary to recalibrate the subjective sense of direction and prevent circular walking patterns.