required practical:reaction time

• 1. this practical is to investigate the effect of a factor on human reaction time
• 2. Method

  • place ruler above outstretched hand,with 0cm level with thumb
  • drop ruler without warning.person to catch ruler as quickly as possible
  • record drop distance
  • repeat and calculate a mean
• 3. the greater the reaction distance,the slower the reaction time.
• 4.this practical can be adapted to investigate the effect of caffeine,alcohol or tiredness by comparing results with someone's original reaction time.
• 5. this practical could be improved by:

  • using online reaction test software
  • using a ruler with greater precision
  • ensuring the person does not practice before the test
  • giving the person a specific amount of caffeine/alcohol/number of hours awake