Power Lab- Upper Body
Names: 1.________________2.__________________3.____________________4.___________________
Purpose: To find out whom in ESS has the most power in their upper body.
Hypothesis: How many watts of power do you have in your upper body? (Each person must make a hypothesis.)
1.__________________2.________________________3._____________________4.___________________
Procedure:
1. Measure your arm length from your wrist to your chest and record it in the table.
2. Calculate the distance of your work by multiplying the number of push-ups you did (5 or 1) by 2 and
your arm length.
3. Do 5 GOOD push-ups and enter the time it took in the table. (If you are unable to do 5 GOOD push-ups
then just do 1)- YOU MUST USE PERFECT FORM FOR THIS TO WORK!
4. Repeat procedure step 3 for a 2nd trial and record these times in the table.
5. Calculate the force against the ground (Newtons) and record it in the table. (Use your converted weight!)
6. Calculate how much work you did while doing the push-ups.
7. Calculate the power in your upper body for each trial (watts) and record it in the table.
8. Record your highest power on the white board in the room.
Data:
Name 1:
Name 2:
Name 3:
Name 4:
Arm Length
(m)
Distance
(m)
Force
(N)
Total Work
(J)
Time for Trial 1
(s)
Power for trial 1
(w)
Time for Trial 2
(s)
Power for trial 2
(w)
Calculations:
Distance = (# of push ups) X (2) X (arm length)
Force = Your weight in lbs. ÷ .2248
W = Fd (Work = force x distance)
P = w/t (Power = work  time)
Refer to the data
Analysis:
you collected to answer the questions below.
1. Did you do more work in trial 1 or 2? (Same for everyone)_____________________________________
2. Did you have more power in trial 1 or 2? 1.________2._________3._________4.____________
3. Why did you have the most power in that trial? (Refer to ? # 2) (same for everyone)________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
4. Look at step 5 in the procedure. Why is using your weight for the force while doing push-ups not really
correct?_______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Convert your highest power into horsepower. (1hp = 745.5 w)
1.___________________2._________________________3._____________________4.___________________