I need help with Science Fair Project: already have a topic.?

Question

I need help with my science fair project. my project is
'does your pulse rate increase after riding in a car?'
If you can help, i'd appreciate it very much.

Answer 1

You want to keep everything as consistent as possible. Start with a least a 5-minute rest so you're starting with a consistent body metabolism. Traffic will make a big difference, so you might decide to never watch the traffic, just the scenery. Always measure your pulse at the start, and show at least one graph normalized to the starting pulse. That is, the graph line for each trip starts at the same point, and each shows the pulse difference from that trip's start. If you're riding (not driving), you can take your pulse as often as you like. Keep good records, so when the judge asks you about the second trip on November 5, you can show your record of what you ate, how your day had been, significant events (like you witnessed a car crash), and your pulse readings.

Answer 2

I would also include blood pressure instead of pulse rate only. So you need a blood pressure monitor.

Then pick three streets of a set mileage - I would include a busy highway, average highway, and a subdivision. It would also help if you had up to 3-5 friends/siblings/parents that will do the same routes with you.

Use Excel (or Google Spreadsheets - free) on your computer to record your blood pressure and pulse in the morning and at night before bed to get a baseline readings. You should also drive each of the three designated roads once during the day. Record pulse and BP before and after the drive.

You will also need to record any food/drink that day that has stimulants like caffeine (Cokes, Mtn dew, Red Bull, chocolate, etc...) or if you/friends smoke so that these outside variables anomalies are recorded in your data. Also include a journal of what you did that day, so you know in your data the days you had a stressful day from a test or a sports event or whatever.

Record for 30 to 45 days if possible. Use Excel to graph the data of each person, if you miss a few days don't worry about it, but you should have at least 20 days of data per each person involved.

For your report get the finalized graphed data (you made with Excel) enlarged to 1/2 the size of your display board so that the judges can see your results. Include the other food/outside stress data in your report too.

Good luck, sounds like a great project.