This science project was done by Alexandra, who is a student at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI).
Question
What is the effect of different tastes on heartrate?
Hypothesis
Sour taste will raise heart rate most
Materials
pickles – not sweet
chocolate chip cookies
dark chocolate – high cacao percent
jalepeno Cheetos
talking heartrate monitor
small plates
Procedure
Prepare samples for each participant (3g of each)
pickles for sour taste
chocolate chip cookies for sweet taste
dark chocolate for bitter taste
jalapeno Cheetos for spicy taste
Pass out the pickle sample to all participants but ask them not to eat yet.
Starting with the first participant, take a resting heart rate using the heart rate monitor.
Record the resting heart rate.
Leave the monitor on his/her finger.
Have the student begin eating the pickle
Time 15 seconds and take the heart rate again.
Record the heart rate.
Repeat steps 2 -8 for each sample and record data
Analyze the data and make a conclusion.
Conclusion
My hypothesis was correct because the pickles raised heart rate the most.
Variations
Different foods could be chosen for sour, sweet, spicy and bitter tastes.
NGSS Standards:
Plan and conduct an investigation individually and collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence, and in the design: decide on types, how much, and accuracy of data needed to produce reliable measurements and consider limitations on the precision of the data (e.g., number of trials, cost, risk, time), and refine the design accordingly. (HS-ESS2-5)