How to write a GOOD
conclusion…
GREAT
Re-state the Question/Problem
Statement
• Examples:
1. In science class, we performed an experiment
to find out if our reaction time was quickest
using our sense of sight, sound, or touch….
2. In science class, we tested our reaction time
using our sense of sight, sound, and touch to
see which of our senses had the fastest
reaction time
Re-state your hypothesis….
• Example:
• I thought that if I used my sense of sight in the
lab, then I would have a faster reaction time
than I would with touch or sound.
Brief explanation of
procedure…
• To test my hypothesis and to find an answer to our
question, we performed a lab to test reaction time. We
had one person drop a ruler, and the other catch it. The
longer it took the person to catch the ruler, the higher their
hand would grasp on the ruler (the greater the distance the
ruler traveled). We first tested sight. Then tested touch by
having the catcher close their eyes. The person dropping
the ruler then dropped the ruler and tapped the catcher on
the shoulder simultaneously. Lastly, we tested sound by
having the catcher close their eyes, and the person
dropping to ruler saying “now” as they let the ruler go. We
performed 5 trials for each sense and then found the
average to see which sense resulted in the fastest reaction
time.
Hypothesis- right or wrong?
Prove it!
• This should be the “meat” of your conclusion!
– According to my data, my hypothesis was wrong. The
sense I reacted most quickly with was sound. The
average distance the ruler traveled when using my
sense of sight to catch it for 5 trials was 17.2cm. The
average distance the ruler traveled when using my
sense of sound to catch it for 5 trials was only 12.1cm.
My slowest reactions occurred when using sense of
touch. My average at the end of 5 trials for touch was
22.6cm. Even though 3 of my individual trials for sight
and touch were quicker than 1 of my trials for sound,
on average my quickest reaction time came with sense
of sound.
Data Analysis
Make sense of your data…. What
does it tell you?
– When looking at my data, all of my trials are pretty
close. In fact, all trials fell between 15-23 cm.
– My fastest trial out of all three senses actually
occurred in my 3rd trial for sight, 15.1 cm. This
makes me wonder how accurate my data is,
because sound ended up being my fastest
average. I guess this is why we performed multiple
trials.
Any problems?
• If I were to test my hypothesis a second time, I would
perform more trials for each sense. I would probably
use 10-15 trials, then find the average.
• I think inaccuracies can occur with the person dropping
the ruler. They could say “now” too early or late. They
could touch the catcher too early or late.
• I think inaccuracies can occur with the catcher as well.
They could have their fingers too close together and
the ruler could get stuck on their hand, stopping the
ruler from dropping.
Concluding statement…
All in all, our experiment to test the reaction speed
of the senses sight, sound, and touch went pretty
well. My hypothesis was incorrect, my fastest
reaction time was achieved when using my sense of
sound, but my results were pretty close.
I would be interested to test my
hypothesis again using a
different method to measure
reaction speed.