The drawing shows a device that you can make with a piece of cardboard, which can be used to measure a person's reaction time. Hold the card at the top and suddenly drop it. Ask a friend to try to catch the card between his or her thumb and index finger. Initially, your friend's fingers must be level with the asterisks at the bottom. By noting where your friend catches the card, you can determine his or her reaction time in milliseconds (ms). Calculate the distances (a) d1, (b) d2, and (c) d3.
To calculate the distances (a) d1, (b) d2, and (c) d3, we need to understand the measuring scale shown in the drawing.
The drawing depicts a device made of a piece of cardboard. It has three asterisks (*) placed at different positions, labeled d1, d2, and d3. These asterisks represent the points where your friend catches the card at different reaction times.
To measure the distances, follow these steps:
1. Measure the total height of the cardboard device from the top where you hold it to the bottom where the asterisks are located. Let's call this measurement H.
2. Determine the height at which your friend catches the card for distances (a) d1, (b) d2, and (c) d3. Let's call these measurements h1, h2, and h3, respectively.
3. Calculate the distances (a) d1, (b) d2, and (c) d3 using the formula:
- Distance (a) d1 = H - h1
- Distance (b) d2 = H - h2
- Distance (c) d3 = H - h3
By subtracting the heights at which your friend catches the card from the total height of the device, you can determine the distances (a) d1, (b) d2, and (c) d3.
Remember, it is crucial to measure the height accurately to get valid results for reaction time in milliseconds (ms).