The ruler drop test is performed to test the reaction time of a person. This test is generally recommended for athletes to test their reaction times and assess their physical fitness. Even though this is a very useful and easy to perform test, it has certain limitations, which you must know about.
As a student of the top UK universities, learning about the specific advantages and disadvantages of this test can help you understand how accurate and reliable its results are. So, let’s take a detailed look into what the ruler drop test is, how its performed, and the various advantages and disadvantages of the ruler drop test.
What Is The Ruler Drop Test?
A ruler drop test is performed using a simple ruler and it takes only two people. The purpose of this test is to measure the reaction time of a person to visual stimuli. Regularly undergoing this test can be used to understand the deterioration or improvement of reaction time in people as they age or athletes as they train. The ruler drop test is used by physiotherapists too to measure how patients are recovering after traumatic accidents. Now that you are clear about what this test is, make sure you check out how its performed to use it effectively for your curriculum as a student of UK universities.
How Its Performed?
- Step 1: Take a standard ruler and hold it beyond the fingers of the test subject.
- Step 2: Ask the test subject to hold the ruler only using their extended hand as quickly as possible.
- Step 3: Drop the ruler and check how quickly the subject can hold the ruler while its dropping.
- Step 4: If the subject is unable to hold the ruler you can perform the test again.
- Step 5: Once the subject has successfully held the ruler, you can check the mark on the ruler where they were able to hold the ruler.
- Step 6: Considering you’re using a standard 30 cm ruler, if the subject is able to hold the ruler above the 20 cm mark, it means they have a very fast reaction time. Catching the ruler before the 10 cm mark would mean average or moderate reaction time. Catching it in the first 10 cm may indicate slow reaction time.
That’s how the test is performed. As a rule of thumb it must be ensured the person dropping the ruler is not applying any additional force to the drop. It can skew the results of the test. Based on where the subject is holding the ruler, you can calculate their reaction time in milliseconds using the speed of gravity as the constant. This is why it is crucial to ensure no force is exerted at the time of dropping the ruler.
Now that you know about how the ruler drop test is performed, let’s look at its advantages and disadvantages. Make sure you are using the process properly when working on your UK university assignment. If you’re having difficulty following the steps, feel free to use our UK university assignment help services to make it easier.
Advantages of The Ruler Drop Test
Simple To Execute: The ruler drop test is very easy to perform and its simplicity ensures you can create a large data pool when performing a comparative analysis of reaction times between athletes and non-athletes. This will help you ensure the collected data is accurate making the conclusions of your study accurate.
Minimal Setup Required: You only need a ruler to perform this test. The minimal setup ensures you can perform it simultaneously on many subjects. You can also easily teach people to try the experiment and send collected data with you, thanks to the minimal setup requirement.
Can Be Performed Anywhere: The ruler drop test can be effectively performed in any setting be it a classroom, study halls, or at home. The ease of performing this test anywhere makes it easier for participants to perform and be interested in this test.
Results Can Be Compared: As two people are required to perform this test, the results of two subjects can be compared against each other. The same can be done for a group of subjects and much more. Since the results are comparable, they can help you draw meaningful conclusions and make it easier for you to create an effective study for your UK university assignments.
Disadvantages of The Ruler Drop Test
Result Accuracy Can Vary: If the subject is not attentive, fatigued, distressed, or simply having a bad day, the results can vary significantly. This makes it difficult to trust the results you generate using the ruler drop test.
External Factors Can Affect Results: Bad lighting, too harsh lighting, inability to focus due to other external stimuli can all affect the test results. As such it is crucial to ensure each test is performed in a perfect environment to ensure the results are accurate.
Only Tests Hand-Eye Coordination: For athletes, hand-eye coordination is secondary as the reaction time of the whole body is more necessary during sports. The ruler drop test only measures the hand-eye coordination of subjects.
Conclusion
The ruler drop test has several crucial advantages and disadvantages, which must be known before you perform it. Knowing its limitations can help you ensure the collected results are as accurate as possible and your research findings are acceptable for the high standards of UK universities. If you’re having trouble setting up a ruler drop test assignment, check out Digi Assignment Help. We can help you with highly specialised expert assignment help in the UK. Find out more on our website today.
