Breathing Rate

Problem/Question:

What happens to a person’s breathing rate as that person increases his or her activity level?

Hypothesis: 

IF a person increases his or her activity level, THEN _______________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

BECAUSE_______________________________________________________________________

Experiment:

Use the materials and follow the procedures below to test your hypothesis. Your observations/data should be recorded in the table and you should create an appropriately labeled bar graph to provide an additional illustration of your average data.

Materials:

• Partners
• Stopwatch
• Notebook
• Writing utensil

Procedures:

1. Copy the Breathing Rate Data Table into your notebook.
2. Breathing rate is measured by how many times you inhale, or number of times your chest rises.
3. Count each inhale as one breath.
4. Sit in your chair. Have your partner time you for 30 seconds as you count the number of breaths.
5. Multiply the number of breaths by 2. This is how much you breathe in a minute while you are resting (your resting breathing rate).
6. Record the number of breaths in the data table.
7. Have your partner time you for one minute as you walk. At the end of a minute count the number of breaths for 30 seconds. Multiply the number of breaths by 2 to determine the number of breaths in a minute while walking (your walking breathing rate). Record in the data table.
8. Repeat all aspects of step number 7, this time while running (your running breathing rate). Record your data.
9. Repeat steps 2 through 8 with all members of the group and record all data.
10. Find the average breathing rate for each category (resting, walking, and running) by adding the members’ breathing rates and dividing by the number of individuals in the group.

Breathing Rate Data Table

Bar Graph:

• Create a bar graph on printer paper illustrating your average data. Be sure you have a title, names, date and block. Label your data sets. Make it neat and colorful.

 Analysis:

Reconsider the experiment and refer to your data table and graph to answer the following questions.

1. What were the average resting, walking, and running breathing rates for the group?
2. Why did you create a group average rather than simply using data from one person to make conclusions about the breathing rate?
3. What did you (the experimenter) purposely change or manipulate in the experiment? Consider this the “cause” in a cause and effect relationship.
4. What was the response to the factor you purposely changed in the experiment? Consider this the “effect” in a cause and effect relationship.
5. What factor in the experiment allowed you to determine if there was an actual change in breathing rate as the activity level changed?
6. What characteristics or components of the experiment were (or should have been) consistently the same or unchanged throughout?
7. What patterns or trends did you notice when looking at your data table and/or graph?
8. Did you encounter any issues/problems during your experimentation that may have affected the accuracy of your data? Explain your reasoning.
9. Does your data/results support your hypothesis? Explain your reasoning.

Conclusion:

Formulate a conclusion to the original problem/question that is based on the analysis of your data. In your conclusion be sure to re-state the problem/question, summarize what you did, describe whether your data/results support your hypothesis, and highlight any factors that could have impacted the accuracy of your data/results.