Science Fair Project?

Question

Does a Cell Phone Conversation Affect Reaction Time?

That is my science fair topic. Do you know of any experiments I could do to test that?

Thank you so much!!!

Answer 1

Not w/out potentially hurting yourself or others, haha

Answer 2

You could have your subjects face a wall and you have a set of flash cards with random things on them..colors...animals...simple math problems etc. perhaps in increasing difficulty.

Show them the cards at set time intervals (the first at 15 seconds the second at 22.. and so on.

Have someone else record the time they identify the object on each flash card.

Record the lag in time from when the card was shown and the answer. Do this with a group of people while on the phone and off.

Be sure to use different, but very similar sets of cards for off the phone and on, because the subjects may subconsciously remember answers resulting in a quicker than normal reaction time which could inhibit results. Be sure that subjects are kept apart from a test subject, because if they listen in, they could accidentally pick up answers.

You could use this to compare to reaction times when hitting a break in a car when on the phone. Then you could calculate the distance they travel at different speeds ie.

2.4 seconds of additional reaction time @ 70 mph.

70 mph = 369600 feet per hour

= 6160 feet per minute

= 102 and 2/3 feet per second

x 2.4 = 246.4 feet extra they would have traveled

If the norm is 1 second (102 feet) and they were on the phone, and an object dropped off a truck 300 feet in front of them, they would crash into it. They wouldn't have hit the break until they were 46 feet ahead of the object.

This experiment could be used to aid in safety awareness. Good luck!

Answer 3

This is way to overdone and trendy of a subject for a science fair.  Try something else.