The document describes a proposed experiment to study the effects of waiting different lengths of time after eating before swimming. It would involve 300 volunteers randomized into age groups and waiting times of 15, 30, or 60 minutes after eating before swimming. The response variable measured would be whether the volunteers get sick or experience cramps. Controls, randomization, and replication are used to reduce bias and variability. Factors like allergies, swimming style, and pain tolerance could also influence the results.

1. Don’t Swim for an Hour
After Eating
Jillian Yagoda and Jamie Higgins

2. Subjects
● 300 random volunteers of all ages

3. Explanatory Variable
● How long a person waits after they eat.
● This is a quantitative variable.

4. Response Variable
● Whether or not the person got sick or gets
cramps after the set amount of time after
they ate.
● This is also a quantitative variable.

5. Blocking
● Block by age groups
o Children
o Adults
o Elderly
● This would help to eliminate the question of
whether or not age effects how long one
should wait to swim after eating.

6. Blinding
● It is not possible to use blinding during this
experiment because time is the variable
being tested, and you can not fake a certain
amount of time. However, we could not tell
them what is being studied.

7. Treatment
● Time before swimming (measured in
minutes)

8. 300
volunteers
100 children
100 adults
100 elderly
25 control
25 - 15 minutes
25 - 30 minutes
25 - 60 minutes
25 control
25 - 15 minutes
25 - 30 minutes
25 - 60 minutes
25 control
25 - 15 minutes
25 - 30 minutes
R
A
N
D
O
M
I
Z
A
T
I
O
N
25 - 60 minutes
Compare
Compare
Compare

9. Experimental Design Principles
● Control
o To be able to compare the other times to
● Randomization
o To lower variability and bias of the volunteers
● Replication
o To lower variability and ensure the data is correct

10. Concerns
● Allergies
● How they swim
● Pain tolerance