Leg Length in Relationship to a 100

Meter Dash Time

Jocelyn Scott

Wes Russell

Ryan Marchewka

Our Experiment
For this assignment, we are trying to see if there is a correlation between the
leg length of an individual and how fast that individual can run a 100 meter
dash.
We will test 25 individuals by the length of their leg and accurately timing how
fast they can run 100 meters with a stopwatch.
To collect our data, we will be conducting an experiment with 25 different
people.
We predict that as leg length increases, the time it will take them to complete
the 100 meter dash will decrease.
In this instance, the direction would therefore be negative and the strength of
the correlation will be strong.

Data set
A population can be defined as the entire group of individuals being studied. In
our experiment, the population is the entire student body at DuBois Area
High School.
A sample can be defined as a part of the population in which the data is
actually collected from. Our sample consists of the 25 individuals that we
will be testing.
A variable can be described as any characteristic of an individual. In our
experiment, the explanatory variable is the leg length of the individual, and
the response variable is the completion time of the 100 meter dash.

Data:

Interpret r and r2
Correlation defines direction and strength of a straight line
relationship and is represented by the letter r. If
r= -0.527, then the correlation is negative, meaning as
leg length increases, 100 meter dash time decreases. The
correlation of -0.527 means the correlation is moderate
meaning the correlation is somewhat valid. Since
r= -0.527, r= 0.278 meaning any prediction has a 27.8%
variation.

Prediction
I predict that if someone has a leg length of 118 centimeters
then that individual will be able to run 100 meters in 12.314
seconds with 27.8% variation. 27.8% variation shows that this
prediction has some validity, but may not be accurate.
y = -0.105x + 24.704
y = -0.105 (118) + 24.704
y = -12.390 + 24.704
y = 12.314 seconds

Lurking Variables
Gender can affect the results because, as shown in sports such as track, males
are generally faster than females.
Injuries can slow an individual down affecting our results by decreasing their time.
We had a couple of people run with knee braces on, so this applies to our
experiment specifically.
The sports that our runners play can also affect how their times turn out. For
example, if they already run track, their times will most likely be faster than
those who do not play sports or run often.
There were a few people who were not wearing sneakers, which could slow them
down and skew the data.
Finally, there is always human error, because nobodys perfect. There could have
been slight variation in the timing of the runners which could affect their times
slightly.

Conclusion
We predicted that as leg length increased, the time it
would take them to complete the 100 meter dash would
decrease. Our hypothesis was correct. The correlation of
-0.527 showed that it is moderate in strength, and
negative, as we predicted it would be.

Sources Cited:
Brown, Lance. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Kumetis, Kelly. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Daughtery, CJ. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Marchioni, Julie. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Fatula, Laura. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Russell, Wes. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Fisher, Jeremy. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Sayers, Reese. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Foley, Kevin. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Schneider, Noah. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Gregorio, Dominic. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Schwabenbauer, Bradyn. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Hanna, Carson. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Scott, Jocelyn. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Himes, Matthew. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Smith, Mason. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Hnat, Joe. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Sugar, Jacob. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Hopkins, Harley. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Thompson, Griffin. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Horm, Caleb. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Webster, Caleb. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Jacobs, Chris. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Welch, Ellie. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Jaggi, Zach. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.

Young, Idez. Personal interview. 7 May 2015.