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Human Services

Comparative Psychologist

Real-Life Activities

Real-Life Math -- Solution

You have put a cat in the box to see how quickly it learns to step on a latch to open the door and reach the fish placed outside. These are your statistics:

  1. How many times faster was the cat the second time it tried the door than the first time it tried?

    First time: 2.5 minutes
    Second time: 50 seconds

    Convert the first statistic to seconds:
    1 minute = 60 seconds
    2.5 x 60 seconds = 150 seconds

    How much faster was the cat the second time?
    Divide the slower time by the faster time:
    150 seconds / 50 seconds = 3 times as fast.

    To find out how many seconds faster, subtract 150 - 50 = 100
    The cat was 100 seconds faster.

    The cat was 100 seconds or three times faster on its second attempt to get the fish.

  2. How many times slower was the cat the third time than the second time?

    Second time: 50 seconds
    Third time: 90 seconds

    The cat was slower the third time, so you need to divide the slow time by the fast time:

    Divide 90 seconds by 50 seconds
    90 / 50 = 1.8
    The cat was 1.8 times slower the third time.

    To find out how many seconds slower, subtract:

    90 - 50 = 40
    The cat was 40 seconds slower on its third attempt.

"You will need to use statistics to conduct experiments and to read about others," says Rankin.