You didn’t think we were done with science did you? Think science and sports are worlds apart? Think again!
Some sports require fast reaction times: baseball, sprinting, tennis, volleyball and fencing to name a few. How fast is your reaction time? Below is a way to measure it.
Materials:
Ruler
Friend to help you
What to do:
Have your helper hold the ruler by the 12 inch (30 cm) end so that it hangs down vertically toward the ground.
Place your thumb and index finger on either side of the ruler at the 0-inch mark. Don’t squeeze the ruler—it should be able to move freely through your fingers.
Tell your friend to let go of the ruler when s/he is ready and pinch your fingers together to catch it.
Read on the ruler the distance it fell. Use the table below to determine your reaction time.
DISTANCE – REACTION TIME CONVERSION TABLE
Distance Time
2 in (~5 cm) 0.10 sec (100 ms)
4 in (~10 cm) 0.14 sec (140 ms)
6 in (~15 cm) 0.17 sec (170 ms)
8 in (~20 cm) 0.20 sec (200 ms)
10 in (~25.5 cm) 0.23 sec (230 ms)
12 in (~30.5 cm) 0.25 sec (250 ms)***
This one is all about realizing how amazing your body is. Your senses have to realize what is happening, communicate with your brain and tell your hand to grab the ruler.
Want some more science? Introduce a few variables: which of your hands is fastest, which person in your family is fastest? Try it blindfolded and have the helper make a noise as s/he drops the ruler. Collect these results. What things do you notice about your data? Keep practicing and see if you can improve your time!
***Remember milliseconds are one thousandths of a second so 1000 milliseconds (ms) = 1 second. That means 250 ms = 0.25 seconds; 100 ms = 0.100 seconds. See you’re a lot faster than you thought!
Some sports require fast reaction times: baseball, sprinting, tennis, volleyball and fencing to name a few. How fast is your reaction time? Below is a way to measure it.
Materials:
Ruler
Friend to help you
What to do:
Have your helper hold the ruler by the 12 inch (30 cm) end so that it hangs down vertically toward the ground.
Place your thumb and index finger on either side of the ruler at the 0-inch mark. Don’t squeeze the ruler—it should be able to move freely through your fingers.
Tell your friend to let go of the ruler when s/he is ready and pinch your fingers together to catch it.
Read on the ruler the distance it fell. Use the table below to determine your reaction time.
DISTANCE – REACTION TIME CONVERSION TABLE
Distance Time
2 in (~5 cm) 0.10 sec (100 ms)
4 in (~10 cm) 0.14 sec (140 ms)
6 in (~15 cm) 0.17 sec (170 ms)
8 in (~20 cm) 0.20 sec (200 ms)
10 in (~25.5 cm) 0.23 sec (230 ms)
12 in (~30.5 cm) 0.25 sec (250 ms)***
This one is all about realizing how amazing your body is. Your senses have to realize what is happening, communicate with your brain and tell your hand to grab the ruler.
Want some more science? Introduce a few variables: which of your hands is fastest, which person in your family is fastest? Try it blindfolded and have the helper make a noise as s/he drops the ruler. Collect these results. What things do you notice about your data? Keep practicing and see if you can improve your time!
***Remember milliseconds are one thousandths of a second so 1000 milliseconds (ms) = 1 second. That means 250 ms = 0.25 seconds; 100 ms = 0.100 seconds. See you’re a lot faster than you thought!
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