Reaction Time

By, Russell Dawkins

Reaction time is a physical phenomenon that can be calculated using the momentum principle.

The Main Idea

Your reaction time is how long it takes you to respond to an event. This can be measured one of two ways. One way to measure reaction times is given the distance that an object traveled since you reacted to it. Another application of this formula is to solve for the distance that the object caught travels based on how long it took to catch it.

A Mathematical Model

This picture shows how the momentum principle can be used to derive the two equations associated with reaction time. One equation solves for time and the other solves for the distance.

A Computational Model

This picture shows a vPython code that can solve for the reaction time.

Examples

This youtube link shows a video of a ruler being dropped and caught. The displacement of the ruler was 10 inches so the reaction time was .2267 seconds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu1yde207qU&feature=youtu.be

Further reading

A Study in Reaction Time and Movement

     by, Thomas Verner Moore

Speedy Science: How Fast Can You React?

     by, Daisy Yuhas