Checking Your Reaction Time!
BY: Kayla Whitt (and Allison Hayes)

Materials needed for this experiment:

1. White paper
2. 6 crayons/markers
3. pencil
4. glue
5. scissors
6. ruler

Step 1:
On your white piece of paper, use your pencil to trace the ruler. After tracing the ruler, cut out what you traced.


Step 2:
After cutting out your traced ruler, divide the paper ruler into six sections evenly. Color each of those sections a different color. Then glue or tape the colored strip onto one side of the ruler.




Step 3:
Ask a friend to hold one end of the ruler by using his/her finger and thumb. On the other end of the ruler, hold your finger and thumb out, not holding on to the ruler, but prepared to catch it when it falls. When the other person releases the ruler, try to grab it as fast as you can. The color you grab tells you your reaction time. Do you have a fast reaction or slow reaction? Try it!


In addition, I made a graph. Allison and I had talked about even being able to use this science experiment as a math lesson as well. I made it like a bar graph and tested my results 15 times. Then, I tallied how many times I grabbed the ruler on a certain color. Last, I shaded the region showing which color was grabbed more than the other colors. My color was Orange!
So, I have a medium reaction time.





*** Special Note: In my experiment, I didn't have anyone else to drop my ruler for me. I did it myself. So, I knew when I was about to drop it. Therefore, I knew when to grab. Do you agree that this probably made a difference in my reaction time?

Q: Why do we have a sudden tendency to take fast action when we touch something hot or try to catch a fallen object or suddenly jump when we are scared by something?

All of this has to do with our senses. All of us know that we have five senses...seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling. Our senses send signals to our brain which causes us to react differently. Many things can effect our reactions, such as: age, our surroundings, left hand vs. right hand people, and/or if there are any distractions. Psychologist have named three types of reaction times...simple, recognition and choice. Simple means there is one stimulus and one response. For example, when we react to a loud sound. Recognition means that some will respond to the stimuli while others may not. But there is still only one correct response with this type as well. In choice reaction time, a person gives a response that corresponds to the stimulus. This type of reaction has been proven to be the longest of the three. Studies have been made for the mean reaction time of college-aged students and the average is .16 to .19 sec. reaction times.

Grade 1 Standard (reaction, using your senses)
0107.Inq.1- Use senses and simple tools to make observations.

Mini lesson plan

Check out Angela's blog on another way we use our senses.