To find out what happens to my pulse rate when I change the position I am in e.g. lying down, sitting down and standing up.

I think that my results graph will look like this:

Method

1. I will take my pulse rate while lying down 10 times.
2. I will take my pulse rate while sitting down 10 times.
3. I will take my pulse rate while standing up 10 times.
4. I will then take averages of all the results then use the averages to compare the different positions.

Accuracy

I will make my measurements as exact as possible by using a stopwatch to measure a minute while I take my pulse.  Taking my pulse rate 10 times, then calculating an average will make my results a lot more reliable that just one result.

Fair Testing

I will keep the variables (lying down, sitting down and standing up) the same because if I didn’t my heart rate would be different and would make it an unfair test.

Results

This graph shows all the results I got while lying down:

This graph shows all the results I got while sitting down:

This graph shows all the results I got while I was standing up:

This graph shows the averages of all the positions:

The above graph shows that position does alter your heart rate.  It followed this pattern because when you are lying down, your heart does not need to beat as fast as if you were standing up because it isn’t as hard to pump blood straight as upwards. The graph agrees with my prediction, as while I was lying down my pulse rate was lowest, while I was sitting down it was in the middle and while I was standing up, my pulse rate was highest.

Evaluation

I think that my results were good because I did every position 10 times then took an average, this compensated for any results that may have been a bit higher or lower than my pulse rate usually is, so therefore made it a fair test.  I didn’t really have any odd results, as they were all around the same area.