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Human anatomy Science Fair Project

Height and Stride Distance

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Height and Stride Distance | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does a taller person take longer steps? You measure the height and stride distance of 24 people across three age groups and both genders. Each person walks through a puddle of water so their footprints appear on a sidewalk. You measure the distance of ten strides and divide by ten to get one stride length. The results show a surprising pattern. The ratio of height to stride stays around 0.4 no matter the person's age or gender.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the ratio of a person's height to his or her stride does not vary much between genders and over different age groups.

Science Concepts Learned

Anthropometry

Anthropometry can uncover fixed ratios between body measurements that hold true across different people. Measuring height and stride distance across 24 people of different ages and genders reveals a consistent pattern. The ratio of height to stride stays around 0.4 no matter the person's age or gender.

Method & Materials

You will divide 24 participants into groups by gender and age, measure their heights, create a puddle of water at the beginning of a sidewalk, and have each participant walk over the puddle and continue walking for 10 strides. You will measure the distance for 10 strides and divide by 10 to get the stride distance.
You will need a straight sidewalk about 10 meters long, a straight wall, a pail of water, 4 boys and 4 girls age 10 years old, 4 boys and 4 girls age 14 years old, 4 boys and 4 girls age 18 years old, and 1 measuring tape (at least 10 meters long).

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Results

The results show that age and gender do not affect the ratio of a person's height to his/her stride distance. The ratio between a person's height and stride distance is about 0.4. This means that if we measure the height of a person, we can then quite accurately estimate his or her stride distance by dividing his or her height with the ratio of 0.4.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows that the ratio of a person's height to his or her stride does not vary much between genders and over different age groups. This means that if we measure the height of a person, we can then quite accurately estimate his or her stride distance.

Also Consider

Experiment variations to consider include comparing strides when walking barefoot, and then when walking with slippers and with shoes. Another variation is to repeat the experiment using different age groups consisting of people in their 20's, 40's and 60's.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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