Julia Hrenchuk January 1, 2012 Grazer/Carnes Period 1

The Effect of NOS Energy Drinks on Typing Speed And Accuracy

Goal/ Question
The purpose of this lab was to determine if a higher intake of caffeine (from an energy drink) will effect your typing speed and spelling accuracy.

Background Information
Energy drinks are made to aid in giving people a sudden burst of energy in order to fulfill tasks or chores. A 22 fluid ounce NOS energydrink contains 2750mg of taurine, 550mg of L-carnitine, 375mg of caffeine, 274mg of inositol, and 136mg of panax ginseng. Taurine is 2aminoethanesulfonic acid and is found in most meats and seafood. Taurine aids with cardiovascular functions, the development and function of skeletal muscle, and the central nervous system for animals. Although taurine has been shown effective in animals, it has not been shown to boost enegery in humans. L Carnitine is an amino acid that is required to transport fatty acids during the breakdown of lipids. L-Carnitine is useful with heart and kidney conditions and has been shown to aid in weight loss. Consistent supplements of L-Carnitine has been proven to contribute to energy for the metabolism and improves the neurotransmitter which could be one of the contributers in typing speed. L-Carnitine can been found in red meats, nuts, seeds, and vegetables. L-Carnitine can be benefical to humans, however, the carnitine in energy drinks are still not considered a health food. Caffeine is found in different seeds, leaves, and fruits. Caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant. Caffeine simulates a stress response in the body by temporarily relieving fatigue and restoring alertness. It also gives better body coordination, but could also, at some point, make someone (or something) restless. Inositol is a carbohydrate found in many fruits. Panax ginseng is a root that provides nothing to aid typing speed, but there is enough ginseng in the energy drink to aid in performance.

Hypothesis
Typing speed will increase as the amount of NOS energy drinks are consumed, but accuracy will decrease.

Materials & Methods

The materials needed for this experiment are two bottles of 22 fluid ounces of NOS energy drink, a measuring cup that measures ounces, a computer with a keyboard, a stopwatch, prewritten passages that are typical in typing (a different passage every experiment), and two people to act as test subjects. First, have two people type for one minute two times copying from the pre-written passage in order to test how many words they could write and to test the amount of errors they make without performance enhancers. Next, measure out 4 fluid ounces of NOS for each subject and have them drink it. Wait about 5 minutes and have them type the same prewritten passage for one minute and note how many words they can type and how many errors they make. Then, have the subjects repeat the same typing test without drinking anymore NOS. Third, add four more ounces and repeat the same process. Keep giving the subjects energy drinks

until they have each reached a total of 20 fluid ounces intake. After collecting all the information use excel to put all the data into a table and find the average of the words per minute for each amount of energy drinks consumed. Lastly, put the conclusions in a graph. Then, do the same for the amount of errors made.

Data
Brad (subject 1)

Ounces None 4oz 8oz 12oz 16oz 20oz

Words per min 1 41/ min 42/ min 46/ min 45/ min 48/ min 38/ min

Words per min Average 2 45/ min 43/min 44/ min 43/ min 46/ min 46/ min 50/ min 47.5/ min 47/ min 47.5/ min 45/ min 41.5/ min

Error 1 0 0 0 2 1 3

Error 2 1 1 0 2 1 0

Average 0.5 0.5 0 2 1 1.5

Keenan (subject 2) Ounces None 4oz 8oz 12oz 16oz 20oz Words per min 1 42/ min 47/ min 44/ min 47/ min 35/ min 50/ min Words per min Average Error 1 2 44/ min 43/ min 2 42/ min 44.5/ 4 min 42/ min 43/ min 1 48/ min 47.5/ 1 min 41/ min 38/ min 5 50/ min 50/ min 4 Error 2 2 0 0 5 3 3 Average 2 2 0.5 3 4 3.5

Question/ Calculations/ Analysis

When the amount of energy drinks consumed increased the typing speed also increased. However, there are still outliers in the data. When it came to making errors it did not matter if the subjects had more to drink or less to drink compared with them not having anything to drink. The total amount of errors made fluctuated throughout the entire experiment.

Conclusion
In this lab I examined the cause and effect of energy drinks on typing speed and errors. My test subjects consisted of two boys who I had type as much of a passage for one minute without any energy drinks. Then, I added 4 fluid ounces and had them do two more trials every time I added 4 more fluid ounces. I then counted how many words they were able to type in that minute and how many errors they made, and I put it in a table. My results showed that both boys averages started at 43 words per minute and would go up slightly by a word or two every 8 fluid ounces. However, there was data which told us that because the amount of errors in typing fluctuated throughout the experiment the amount of energy drinks consumed does not affect the amount of mistakes made in typing. In order to fully test the effects of energy drinks I would do the experiment the same but adding more fluid ounces of NOS energy drinks.

Sources of Error
When examining sources of error I can conclude that there are outliers in the data because in the experiment we did not allow the ingredients in the NOS that enhance performance enough time to take affect. I know this because towards the end of the experiment we started rushing to finish the trials, and did not let the ingredients fully sink in as long as some of the other trials. Another error could be that we did not change the words in the passages enough which resulted in some of the trials the subjects getting used the words and memorizing the passage and they started typing from memory. This could have also added more words per minute. A last error could have been that the boys were substantially different in weight which could have effected the way their bodies take in the ingredients. One of the boys could have been effected in a different way than the other.