Mary Help of Christians School (Cebu), Inc.

Km. 17 Tunghaan, Minglanilla, Cebu

Laboratory 1:

How Fast Is Your Reaction?

Submitted by:

Submitted to:
Abstract:

 Rationale: Neurons have the special ability to carry signals or impulses. A nerve
impulse is an electrochemical signal moving along a neuron. The space between
neurons is called a synapse. A stimulus is any factor in the environment that
influences behavior. A response is a reaction to a condition or stimulus. An
organism must be able to respond to a stimulus in order to survive. Reaction time
is the length of time between application of a stimulus and detection of a
response. The next activity that you will perform will enable you to understand
these concepts better. Use your body's senses to detect the stimuli in your
environment and execute the corresponding response.

Objective: Measure the length of time of response to catch a dropped object.

 Materials: A. Ruler B. Data chart C. Ball pen

 Procedure:

A. Construct a table like the one below, to record your data.

B. Have your partner hold a metric ruler at its end with the highest number in cm.
C. Place the thumb and forefinger of your left hand close to, but not touching, the end
with the lowest number.
D. When your partner drops the ruler, try to catch it between your thumb and finger.
E. Record where the top of your thumb is, when you catch the ruler. This number gives
how many centimeters the ruler fell.
F. Repeat steps 2 to 5 five more times and record the measurements on the data table
that you have constructed earlier.
G. Repeat steps 2 to 5 five more times using your right hand to catch the rules.
H. Repeat steps 2 to 5 five more times using your left hand with your eyes closed. Your
partner will signal you by saying "now" when the ruler drops.
I. Repeat steps 2 to 5 five more times using your right hand with your eyes closed.
Record your data and observations.
J. Exchange tasks and drop the ruler for your partner.
K. To complete your data chart, change all the centimeters to seconds by multiplying by
0.01.
L. After recording all the data, compute for the average by adding up the measurements
of all the trials and dividing it by the number of trials.

 Results

Trials Centimeters where the ruler fell

Eyes open Eyes closed
Left hand Right hand Left hand Right hand
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
Average

 Data Analysis:

1. With which hand did you catch the ruler faster when your eyes were open?

2. With which hand did you cast the ruler faster when your eyes closed?
3. Did you catch the ruler faster with your eyes open or closed?

4. Explain why a message moving along nerve pathways takes time.

5. Describe the pathway that the message followed when you saw the ruler fall.

6. How does the brain receive the information from the receptor?

7. How will you differentiate the sensory and motor neurons based on their functions?

8. What does the brain do as soon as it receives the information?

9. How will you differentiate the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral
Nervous System (PNS) in terms of their functions?

 Conclusion: What will happen to the human body if one part of the nervous
system fails to carry out its function properly?

 References: