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How Fast Is Your Reaction Time? *

Areas of Science Human Biology & Health
Difficulty
Time Required Average (6-10 days)
Material Availability Readily available
Cost Very Low (under $20)
Safety No issues
*Note: For this science project you will need to develop your own experimental procedure. Use the information in the summary tab as a starting place. If you would like to discuss your ideas or need help troubleshooting, use the Ask An Expert forum. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions and offer guidance if you come to them with specific questions.

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Abstract

Many sports skills require quick reaction times: think of hitting a 95-mph fastball, returning a 100-mph tennis serve, or blocking a slapshot at the net in hockey. (The Experimental Procedure section below has one way to measure reaction time.) Is your right hand faster than your left? Can you improve your reaction time with practice? Do both hands improve if you only practice with one hand? Try relating your reaction time to real situations in your favorite sport. For example, calculate where the baseball is on its way to the plate when the batter has to make his decision to swing. In addition to reaction time, it takes between 150-190 milliseconds from initiating the swing to making contact with the ball. You'll also need to know the distance from the pitcher to home plate, and the speed of a pitched ball. (Wiese, 2002, pp. 6-8; Adair, 2002, Chapter 3; Brody, 1987, pp. 145-147.) See the Science Buddies project Think Fast! for a step-by-step procedure.

Bibliography

  • Adair, R.K., 2002. The Physics of Baseball: Third Edition, Revised, Updated and Expanded. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
  • Brody, H, 1987. Tennis Science for Tennis Players. Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania Press.
  • Wiese, J, 2002. Sports Science: 40 Goal-Scoring, High-Flying, Medal-Winning Experiments for Kids. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

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General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "How Fast Is Your Reaction Time?" Science Buddies, 28 July 2017, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/HumBio_p005/human-biology-health/how-fast-is-your-reaction-time. Accessed 6 June 2020.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2017, July 28). How Fast Is Your Reaction Time? Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/HumBio_p005/human-biology-health/how-fast-is-your-reaction-time


Last edit date: 2017-07-28

Experimental Procedure

For this science project you will need to develop your own experimental procedure. Use the information in the summary tab as a starting place. If you would like to discuss your ideas or need help troubleshooting, use the Ask An Expert forum. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions and offer guidance if you come to them with specific questions.

If you want a Project Idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk (*) at the end of the title.

Share your story with Science Buddies!

I did this project Yes, I Did This Project! Please log in (or create a free account) to let us know how things went.

Ask an Expert

The Ask an Expert Forum is intended to be a place where students can go to find answers to science questions that they have been unable to find using other resources. If you have specific questions about your science fair project or science fair, our team of volunteer scientists can help. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot.

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