nicw-tem1

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Title
Nick's Heart Rate Experiment

Problem Scenario
I chose this experiment because I've always wondered this and me and most of my family are pretty fit and this is a pretty cool question to conduct an experiment on.

Broad Question
How does certain activities affect your heart rate rating?

Specific Question
Does either age or gender effect someone's heart rate after completing two fitness activities separately?

Hypothesis
I think age is the main factor that will change someone's heart rate, and gender probably won't be a factor.

Independent Variable:
Heart rate rating: Manipulated

Dependent Variable:
Age and Gender: Responding

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:
Same number of jumping jacks and one-legged jumps done: Control

General Plan
1. Gather an equal number of males and females for the experiment. 2. Test each person's heart rate right before the trial begins. (Resting Heart Rate) 3. Have the person do 40 jumping jacks, wait till the person's heart rate returns to their resting heart rate, then have them do 20 one-legged jumps. After each person completes a trial, record their heart rate right away. 5. Do the same thing as in #2 and #3 for each person. After each person completes the trial, record their heart rate right away. 6. Average out the heart rate rating for each activity for age and gender.

Potential Problems And Solutions
The __heart rate monitor__ isn't functioning right, or the waistband isn't wet enough. If it happens, re-wet it, it has happened before while I was trying the experiment.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns
Somebody has a minor injury ex: trips, while attempting the activity.

Number of trials:
12.

Number of subjects in each trial:
6.

When data was collected:
February - March 2012.

Number of observations:
12.

Where data was collected?:
My house.

Resources and Budget Table

 * Item || Where I will get the materials || Price ||
 * Poster Board || __Staples__ || $5.00 ||
 * HR Monitor || Amazon.com || $33.00 ||
 * HR Waistband || Amazon.com || $33.00 ||

Data Table

 * Age || Gender || RHR || HR After 40 Jumping Jack's || HR After 20 One-Legged Jumps ||
 * 13 || Male || 84 || 112 || 107 ||
 * 15 || Female || 83 || 114 || 109 ||
 * 18 || Male || 97 || 126 || 103 ||
 * 47 || Male || 69 || 108 || 94 ||
 * 48 || Female || 88 || 107 || 130 ||
 * 18 || Female || 95 || 139 || 114 ||

Background Research
You can find your maximum heart rate for your age using a target heart rate calculator. I found one online here: http://www.mydr.com.au/tools/heart-rate-calculator < Just enter in your age and it should tell you the maximum heart rate rating you can have for your age.

Detailed Procedure
1. Gather 3 males and females for the experiment. 2. Test each person's resting heart rate right before the trial begins. (If it changes, wait till it reads that number again, then start) 3. Have the person do 40 jumping jacks, wait till the person's heart rate returns to their resting heart rate, then have them do 20 one-legged jumps. After each person completes 40 jumping jacks / 20 one-legged jumps, record their heart rate right when they stop jumping. 5. Do the same thing as in #2 and #3 for each person. After each person completes the trial, record their heart rate right away. 6. Average out the heart rate rating for each activity for age and gender.

Diagram




Results
I found that gender was a bigger factor in heart rate rating after fitness activities than age in my experiment. If you look at my first graph, and compare the ages (18) and (47 / 48) the males and females of those ages were very different. The groups 18, 47 and 48, and 13 and 15, shown the the females had a higher heart rate rating overall then the males.

All Raw Data
One - Legged Jumps || HR After 40 Jumping Jacks ||
 * Age || Gender || RHR || HR After 20
 * 13 || Male || 84 || 107 || 112 ||
 * 15 || Female || 83 || 109 || 114 ||
 * 18 || Male || 97 || 103 || 126 ||
 * 47 || Male || 69 || 94 || 108 ||
 * 48 || Female || 88 || 130 || 107 ||
 * 18 || Female || 95 || 114 || 13 ||

Data Analysis
My first graph showed that females had a larger overall heart rate than males. My second graph showed the averages for males vs. females and females had a higher overall heart rate rating than the males.

Conclusion
The end result of my data was fairly close to my graph of hypothesis (except the age and gender swithced), and I was completely surprised. I was right about the females having higher overall heart rate ratings than the males.

Discussion
I found a trend which showed that as age progressed, the heart rate ratings increased, but then decreased when I tested ages 47 and 48. So my conclusion for that insight is that middle-aged people (Around 18 years old) usually have the highest heart rate ratings.

Benefit to Community and/or Science
This experiment can be a benefit to people who like to exercise a lot. And this experiment can be helpful to people who want to know what kind of activities boost your heart rate the most and are interested in getting fit.

Abstract
I thought of this experiment because I looked at lots of other experiments beforehand but I thought they were pretty dull and boring questions, so I thought of something that I would be pretty good at conducting an experiment on. I tested the heart rate of all my main family members and made them exercise to see how fit they were, whether they liked it or not.