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Improving with Practice
The next three experiments are to show how much you can improve with practice.
Estimating Time
You will need:
Table 4 on page R2 and a piece of squared paper.
How good are you at counting seconds without a
watch to help you?
Your teacher will explain this experiment to
you.
| a |
Record your
results in Table 4. |
| b |
Work out the
error for each trial. |
| c |
If your guess was
too high, put a '+' sign in the bottom row. If your guess
was too low, put a '-' sign in the bottom row. If the
guess was exactly right, leave the last row blank. |
| d |
Plot your errors
on a graph like Figure 4. |
Figure 4 - Stephen's results
Figure 4 was drawn from Stephen's results. His
estimates had improved by the tenth trial.
| e |
What was
Stephen's biggest error ( + or - )? |
| f |
What was
Stephen's smallest error ( + or - )? |
Look at the pattern of your graph.
| g |
Find the largest
and smallest errors. |
| h |
Have your results
shown improvement? |
Reaction Times
You will need Table 5 on page R2.
Do your reaction times improve with practice?
Work with a partner.
| a |
Do the failing
ruler experiment 10 times. One of you use the writing
hand, the other use the non-writing hand. Record your
results on Table 5. |
| b |
Plot your results
on a graph. |
Make sure your scale can show the full range of
times you took.
Figure 5 - Robert's reaction times.
Figure 5 shows Robert's results.
| c |
What would you
expect to see in the diagram if you improve with
practice? |
| d |
Did you improve? |
| e |
Describe your
results in a few sentences. |
| f |
Give your results
to your teacher. |
Your teacher will discuss the class results
with you.
Guessing Lengths
You will need Table 6 on page R2, and a ruler.
In Section C you guessed the lengths of five
lines without being told your errors. Figure 6 shows five more
lines. This time you will see if your guesses improve with
practice when you measure the lengths immediately after you have
guessed.
Figure 6 - Five more lines.
| a |
Guess the length
of the first line to the nearest 1/2
centimetre. |
| b |
Write down your
guess in Table 6. |
| c |
Measure the
length of the first line. Write this down in Table 6. |
| d |
Work out your
error and say whether your guess was too high ( + ) or
too low ( - ). |
| e |
Repeat a to d for
the next line. Continue until you have measured all five
lines. |
Look at your errors in Table 6.
Does Practice Make Perfect?
Sections D1 to D3 all tried to see if you improved with practice.
| a |
Did practice help
you in these experiments? |
In b and c there are two more experiments you
can do to see if you improve with practice. Do one of them. Make
out your own tables and graphs.
| b |
Time how long it
takes you to copy 100 words from a school textbook. See
if you get quicker with practice. |
| c |
Work with a
partner. Set each other 10 arithmetic problems. Answer
the problems as quickly as you can and see how many you
get right. Continue and see if you get more right with
practice. |
| d |
Write down three
more things that you do, where practice is important for
improvement. |
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