1. Nervous System Data Report
Title: Variations Reaction Time
Purpose: To test if your nervous system reacts differently to your right hand and left hand.
Hypothesis: For the left hand, it takes a longer time and longer length to catch. For the right hand, it takes a shorter
amount of time and length compared to the left hand. The reason being is that for a right-handed person, the brain
reacts faster to the movements of the right hand as it is frequently used in everyday life. The left hand would react
slower than the right hand as it is not commonly used.
Procedure:
1. Make a data table in your Science Journal to record where the ruler is caught during this lab. Possible column
heads are Trial, Right Hand, and Left Hand and time taken.
2. Have a partner hold the ruler and measure the time taken to catch the ruler.
3. Hold the thumb and index finger of your right hand apart at the bottom of the ruler.
4. Your partner must let go of the ruler without warning you.
5. Catch the ruler between your thumbs and finger by quickly bringing them together.
6. If failed, repeat until you catch the ruler.
7. Repeat this lab with your other hand.

2. Time Taken (seconds)
Trial Right Hand Left Hand
(Seconds) (Seconds) Time Taken (seconds)
1 6 88 90
75
2 13 67
60
Time Taken (s)
3 16 77
45
4 15 53 30
15
5 11 49
0
1 2 3 4 5 6
6 11 36 Trial
Right Hand (Seconds) Left Hand (Seconds)
Average 12 61.7

3. Data:
Where Caught (cm)
Trial Right Hand (cm) Left Hand (cm)
Where Caught (cm)
1 12 7 30
2 9 8 24
Where Caught (cm)
3 14 23 18
4 14 8.5 12
5 16 17 6
6 15 11 0
1 2 3 4 5 6
Trial
Average 13.333 12.417
Right Hand (cm) Left Hand (cm)
Average 12.875
Total

4. Result: In the first graph of time taken, the difference between left and right hand is quite large. It is clear that
the right hand performs quicker than the left hand. However, the left hand does better as the number of trials
increases, explained by the declining line of left hand. On the other hand, the right hand is steady.
In the second graph of where caught, the average of right hand is 13.333 cm, and for the left hand, the average
is 12.417 cm. The difference of these two averages are 0.916 cm (about 1 cm), left hand performing better.
However, the left hand is not steady; sometimes doing better than the other times where as the results of the
right hand is steady.
Conclusion: The reason of this experiment is to observe the differences in reflexes and to identify responses for
both left and right hand. At first, we thought that the left hand would react slowly compared to the right hand. The
first set of results of time taken proves that the right hand definitely reacts faster than the left hand. Even though
the results of the left hand improved as the number of trials increased, it was not as fast as the right hand.
However, in the second set of results, the average of left hand actually came up with a shorter length than the
right hand, disproving the hypothesis that right hand will perform better.