
Jet Lag and Baseball Win Rates
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Does flying across three time zones hurt a baseball team's chances of winning? Jet lag disrupts sleep and body rhythms. That could affect game performance.
You compare win-loss records of East Coast and West Coast teams from the 1996 baseball season. You look at games where teams crossed three time zones to play each other. Then you calculate the winning percentage for each side.
Overall, East Coast teams won about 51% of cross-country games. West Coast teams won about 48.5%. The gap was small but consistent across both leagues.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that jet lag affects the performance of professional athletes.
Method & Materials
You will compare the win and lost percentages of East and West coast teams in the 1996 baseball season.
You will need the 1996 baseball season schedule and the win and lost percentages of East and West coast teams.
Results
The results showed that the East teams of the American & National League's won an average of 51%, while the West teams of the American & National League's won an average of 48.5%. This suggests that jet lag does have an effect on the performance of professional athletes.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it looks at the effect of jet lag on professional athletes, which is something that is not often studied.
Also Consider
Experiment variations to consider include looking at different sports and different time zones.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related video
These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
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