Tip-Pinch Reaction Lab

Name:______Period:______~Tip-Pinch Reaction Lab~

Research Question: Does limited exercise affect the tip-pinch reaction time of sixth grade students?

Background Information: The tip-pinch of the index finger and thumb plays an important role in the function of the hand. Together they allow the hand to pick up and hold small objects. In this two-finger pinch, the index finger actively bends toward the thumb while the thumb is more passive. The thumb moves to support the manipulation of the index finger. Reaction time is the time it takes for information to travel from the eye to the brain and back to appropriate muscles for a reflex response. When you exercise, you burn stored muscle energy. Hypothesis: The tip-pinch reaction time of 6th grade students (choose one: will / will not) be affected by limited exercise because…______Materials:  cm measuring stick (ruler)  Timer (stop watch)  chair & table

Procedure: 1. Have one student sit with designated arm on the table. Palm should be placed on table with fingers extending out over the edge. Hand should be positioned so that as the cm stick falls, it can be caught between the index finger and thumb without moving the arm off the table. 2. Assign a second student to drop the cm stick. Hold the 30 cm end of the stick. The other end hangs just above the finger and thumb of the seated student. The student who drops the cm stick announces when that the stick is about to be dropped. 3. After each drop, the seated student will announce the results by reading the cm number just under the finger-thumb. Record on chart. 4. If the seated student does not catch the ruler, repeat the drop again. Do NOT record Ocm for a missed drop!! 5. Do a practice run before beginning. 6. Determine a base score by dropping the cm stick 5 times to get an average reading 7. Have the seated student stand and complete an exercise of their choice (jumping jacks, push- ups, sit-ups, etc.) for 15 sec. 8. Repeat Step 2 & 4 for 30 sec. and 60 sec. 9. Repeat procedure for each student in your group 10. Calculate and record average readings.

Data Collection: Student #1: Base After 15 sec After 30 sec. After 60 sec. ______

Average: ______Student #2: Base After 15 sec After 30 sec. After 60 sec. ______

Average: ______

Student #3: Base After 15 sec After 30 sec. After 60 sec. ______

Average: ______

Student #4: Base After 15 sec After 30 sec. After 60 sec. ______

Average: ______

Data Table: Average Readings for Each Student Student Base After 15 sec After 30 sec After 60 sec. #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 Data Graph: (Please cut out your graph and glue it into the space below)

Lab Analysis: (Please answer each question below using complete sentences. Remember this is ANALYSIS so I am looking for connections to the lab in your responses!!)

1. What was the purpose of this experiment (what were we trying to find out)? What was your original hypothesis (what did you think would happen before we started the lab)?

2. What were the results? Did they support your hypothesis? Why or why not? 3. What were the possible sources of error for this experiment? How might these sources of error have affected the experiment/results?

4. If you could repeat this experiment, what changes would you make and why?

5. What is at least one new experiment that you would like to try based on the results of this experiment?