Scientific Method - Thumb Wrestling
Purpose: To learn the scientific method and to start identifying sources of experimental
error.
Materials:
30cm string (for every two students)
Ruler (for every two students)
Graph paper and handout
Procedures:
1. Fill in purpose statement.
2. Come up with an If/Then hypothesis. (Example: If/Then Statement: “If we measure the
student’s wrists and thumbs, then the student with the longest thumb/wrist will be the
thumb war champion”.)
3. Measure you and your partner’s wrist circumference, thumb knuckle circumference,
and thumb length and record your own information in your handout and on the board in
the front of the classroom (the teacher will calculate class averages).
4. Begin the thumb war tournament. Play your partner in thumb war. Only one game per
round. Report the winner to your teacher. Winner’s move to the next round, losers are
out.
5. At the end of the tournament, you will have two champions, one male and one female.
Write the two winners names on your lab. Then, write the average totals form the board
on the back of your lab sheet.
7. Create a bar graph with the wrist, thumb length, and thumb circumference of male
winner, female winner and the class average as the X- Axis and 0-30 centimeters as the YAxis. The legend/key should have male winner, female winner and the class average as
the categories. Answer summary questions based on your results.
Rules of Thumb War
1.
To play the game, a player hooks the four fingers of their right (or left) hand to the
four fingers of the other players right (or left) hand and clasps firmly.
2. To start the game both student say "one, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war."
3. Both students try to trap, pin, or capture the opponent's thumb for three seconds to
win.
4. Females play females and males play males.
5. Students can conduct only one thumb war per round. No cheating! Twisting the
opponent's arm, use of the opposite hand, or use of the index finger is not allowed.
6. When the thumb is pinned, the counting should be at the same speed. DO NOT
HURT YOUR OPPONENT!
Name:
Date:
Period:
Scientific Method - Thumb Wrestling
Purpose:
Problem: Which trait is best to help someone win a thumb war tournament?
Hypothesis: (If/Then Statement):
Experiment Data:
Your measurements: Wrist:____ Thumb circumference: ______Thumb length: ______
Male winner: Wrist: ______ Thumb circumference: ________ Thumb length: _______
Female winner: Wrist: _______ Thumb circumference: ________ Thumb length: ______
Class average: Wrist: _______ Thumb circumference: _________ Thumb length: _______
Data Analysis: Create a bar graph with the wrist, thumb length, and thumb circumference of
male winner, female winner and the class average as the X-Axis and 0-30 centimeters as the YAxis. The legend/key should have male winner, female winner and the class average as the
categories.
Analysis Questions:
1.Based on your data, what trait was the most important for winning?
2.Write a formal conclusion based on your data. Identify if you accept or reject your
hypothesis.
3.What were the experimental errors in this lab?
4. Why is it important to identify sources of experimental errors or uncontrolled conditions?
1. Is this a controlled experiment and why?
5.What is a hypothesis? What is the next step in the scientific method after forming a
hypothesis?