Teresa Adamik March 22, 2005

Biology-Period 12 Making Connections Lab

Problem Statement: Does exercising increase how many times a person can squeeze a
clothespin in one minute?

Hypothesis: It is predicted that exercising beforehand will decrease the amount of times
one can squeeze a clothespin in one minute.

Materials:
Non-dominant hand
Clothespin
Timer
Room for exercise

Independent Variable:
The presence of absence of exercise

Dependant Variable
How many times one can squeeze a clothespin in one minute.

Procedure:
1. Obtain all materials
2. Close and open clothespin continually by squeezing it with your non-dominant
hand. Do this as many times as possible in one minute. Record the number.
3. Rest for 10 minutes.
4. Exercise for five minutes: two and a half minutes jumping jacks, and two and a
half minutes running or running in place.
5. Repeat step 1 immediately following exercise.
6. Collect data from each person and organize
7. Interpret data
8. Create a chart
9. Draw a conclusion

Conclusion:

The results of this investigation refuted the hypothesis that exercising beforehand
would decrease the amount of times one can squeeze a clothespin in one minute. An
experiment was conducted, by recording the number of times a person could squeeze and
clothespin in one minute, with exercising beforehand and without exercising beforehand.
Data was collected from each person, and averaged together to find a total average for the
class. Overall, the average amount of times a clothespin was squeezed in one minute
without prior exercising was 151 times. However, the average amount of times with
exercising increased by seven squeezes, to a 158. This refutes the original hypothesis,
because exercising did in fact increase muscle ability.
 The results of this investigation cannot be considered to be very reliable. Due to
limited time and/or materials, the number of trials was inadequate for the investigation.
Also, when preparing to perform the second trial with exercise added, the participants
completed two and a half minutes of jumping jacks and two and a half minutes of
running. This amount of exercise affected everyone differently, and could have been too
vigorous or not vigorous enough, therefore causing varying heart rates and blood flow.
Another factor that may have affected the investigation’s outcome was the difference in
clothespin resistance. No two participants’ clothespins had the exact same resistance,
some being looser and easier to squeeze than others, and vice versa. This served as an
extra unwanted variable. When counting the number of times the clothespin was
squeezed in a minute, some participants were not accurate. Some may have lost count
partially, or missed squeezes because they were going very rapidly. Lastly, each
participant held the clothespin with a slightly different grip while squeezing it. Some of
those grips were stronger or weaker than others, providing yet another unwanted variable.
The following are recommendations fro specific changes to the investigative
procedure. First, given greater time and availability of materials, the number of trials
should be increased. Participants should include people of a general specific fitness, to
eliminate the unwanted variable of the vigorousness of the workout for each individual.
Each clothespin should also be at the same resistance level, making no single clothespin
any harder to squeeze than another. Participants should be extremely careful in counting
the number of times they squeezed their clothespin with no distractions, or even have
another participant count for them, so that an accurate number may be recorded. Lastly,
participants should be instructed to grip the clothespin in the exact same, specific way as
one another, so that no one participant has an advantage over another. If the investigation
is repeated and all of the recommended changes above are implemented, the changes will
produce more reliable results and data.