How does the amount of weight carried by a person affect their speed over a 50m distance?
Roberto Hernandez, Cristina Hernandez, Nayelli Corea, Guadalupe Hernandez & Elder
Ramos
Belmopan Comprehensive School
February 12th, 2021
EFFECT OF WEIGHT ON SPEED OF A RUNNER
1
CONTENT PAGE
PROJECT TITLE & INTRODUCTION …….…………………………………….….. Page 2
METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION ……………………………………….…….….. Page 3
PRESENTATION OF DATA ………………………………………………….………. Page 4
ANALYSIS OF DATA …………………………………………………………….…... Page 5-6
DISCUSSIONS OF FINDINGS …………………….………………………………… Page 7
CONCLUSION ………………….………………………………………………….…. Page 8
EFFECT OF WEIGHT ON SPEED OF A RUNNER
2
PROJECT TITLE:
How does the amount of weight carried by a person affect their speed over a 50m distance?
INTRODUCTION:
The class of fourth form was asked to complete a SBA. The group chose the topic, “How does
the amount of weight carried by a person affect their speed over a 50m distance?” The purpose
of this project is to investigate if the amount of weight carried by a person would affect the speed
over a 50m distance.
Objectives:
● To measure weight of each person
● To measure time taken by each person to run the 50m distance
● To find the speed of each person
● To evaluate additional factors that may contribute to the speed of each person
EFFECT OF WEIGHT ON SPEED OF A RUNNER
3
METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION
To achieve our objectives we will:
● Use a weighing scale to measure each person’s weight
● Use a stopwatch to record the time taken by each person to run the 50m distance
● Use a measuring tape to measure the 50m distance
● Use a football field to run the 50m distance
● Use a table to enter data collected
● Do additional research to determine factors that may also affect the speed
DATA COLLECTION SHEET
Name Gender Age Weight (lb)
Distance (m) Time (s) Speed (m/s)
EFFECT OF WEIGHT ON SPEED OF A RUNNER
4
PRESENTATION OF DATA
Table #1: Table showing additional information gathered from each runner before performing
the speed test.
Persons Gender Age Weight (kg)
1 Female 16 52
2 Female 16 43
3 Female 15 66
4 Male 16 61
5 Male 16 61
Table #2: Table showing the distance,time and speed run by each person.
Person Distance (m) Time (s) Speed (m/s)
1 50 11.4 4.4
2 50 9.8 5.1
3 50 12.8 3.9
4 50 8.6 5.8
5 50 8.8 5.7
EFFECT OF WEIGHT ON SPEED OF A RUNNER
5
ANALYSIS OF DATA
Formula to find speed
Speed=Distance/Time
Person 1: Person 5:
s=d/t s=d/t
s= 50m/11.4s s=50m/8.8s
s=4.4m/s 1d.p. s=5.7m/s
Person 2:
s=d/t
s=50m/9.8s
s=5.1m/s
Person3:
s=d/t
s=50m/12.8s
s=3.9m/s
Person 4:
s=d/t
s=50m/8.6s
s=5.8m/s
EFFECT OF WEIGHT ON SPEED OF A RUNNER
6
WEIGHT(kg):
Mean= 52+43+66+61+61= 283/5= 56.6 kg
Median= 43, 52, 61, 61, 66= 61 kg
Mode= 52, 43, 66, 61, 61= 61 kg
Range= 43, 52, 61, 61, 66= 66-43= 23 kg
SPEED (m/s):
Mean= 4.4+5.1+3.9+5.8+5.7= 24.9/5= 5 m/s
1 d.p
Median= 3.9, 4.4, 5.1, 5.7, 5.8= 5.1 m/s
Mode= –––––
Range= 3.9, 4.4, 5.1, 5.7, 5.8= 5.8-3.9= 1.9
m/s
EFFECT OF WEIGHT ON SPEED OF A RUNNER
7
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
According to Newton's second law of motion, the acceleration that an object experiences
is inversely proportional to its mass(Deziel, 2019). Therefore, when an external force acts on an
object, the change in the object’s motion will be directly related to its mass. An object with more
weight resists any change in its speed and has a greater tendency to maintain its motion constant.
This is because an object with more weight is more massive, and an object that is massive has
more inertia that causes it to resist any change in speed. Objects with a lighter mass, will be
influenced by external factors. When considering the speed and time it takes for a person to run a
certain distance, although the weight may be important to consider, the frequency at which he or
she runs should also be considered.
While collecting our data, we expected that a person who weighs less would have a
higher speed, and would take less time to run the 50m but, our results proved us wrong.
However, when reviewing the results, we had doubts on whether weight can affect the speed of a
person.On the tables above we can see that person number four ran faster than all others despite
the fact that he was one of the persons with greater weight. Even though person number five was
the same weight, he ran a little slower than person number four. This could have occurred maybe
because person number four was a more frequent runner and could therefore sustain a consistent
speed and motion for a longer period of time.
In addition, person number three was the slowest female runner;and when compared to
all five runners was the heaviest. Person number two met our expectations, she was the lightest
female and was also the fastest; this could have occurred due to the fact that she was also a
frequent runner among the females. Based on comparisons made, person number one was an
average runner among the females and the entire group. Age could not be considered a factor
affecting the speed of the runner since everyone was between the ages 15-16.
EFFECT OF WEIGHT ON SPEED OF A RUNNER
8
CONCLUSION
Based on the information gathered, it can be concluded that the amount of weight of a person
does affect its speed. However this is not true for both male and females. In our research it was
seen that this was true for the female group but among the males, it was seen that the weight does
not really play a role interfering with the speed of a runner.
References
Deziel, C. (2019, March 02). What is inertia? Retrieved February 12, 2021, from
https://sciencing.com/what-is-inertia-13712449.html
