There is research evidence that hand geometry measurements such as finger lengths, angles between fingers and hand spans can provide information about ability in certain sports, musical tendency and even prowess at mathematics. We have devised a simple method to scan these measurements into a PC using a custom-made cradle, web cam, PC and a back-lit glass plate. The collected data is stored in Excel files and can be used to make statistical investigations more meaningful. Also, the investigations are fun to carry out! Schools can borrow the equipment for their own use.

Hand Geometry Measurements

What do your hands tell about you?

The Royal Statistical Society Centre for Statistical Education (RSSCSE) has teamed up with the Centre for Effective Learning in Science (CELS) at Nottingham Trent University and devised a project to investigate the relationships, if any, between hand geometry measurements and other characteristics and features of people of all ages. The equipment for doing this comprises (i) a specially designed cradle with web cam and linked laptop for automatically scanning and capturing various dimensions of a person’s right and left hands (ii) a dedicated height and foot measurer.

The following questions can lead to useful statistical investigations

• How wide is your handspan?
• Does this have any relationship to your arm span or your height?
• Are your left and right index fingers the same length?
• What differences, if any, are there between males and females?

Are there any possible associations between hand geometry measurements and propensity towards sporting and/or musical activities?

Investigation

An investigation into the ratio of index to ring finger lengths should follow the English national curriculum statistical problem solving process of: plan; data; analyse; conclude. After planning the investigation and collecting data, the analyse stage could involve presenting and discussing a scatter plot such as that shown, which is for a sample of males aged between 5 and 80. One interpretation of this graph could be that the data seem to show a strong linear relationship between the two variables, but there appear to be two clusters for ring finger lengths up to approximately 66m and then above about 70mm.

Further Details

Would your school like to contribute to this project? The RSSCSE and CELS welcome school involvement and can arrange for the equipment to be loaned to your school, with training in its use, for a fixed period. Schools’ data for learners and teachers are collected and stored in Excel files. These can be analysed using Excel itself and/or standard software. The database created can be used for learners to get involved in a wide range of statistical investigations.

Acknowledgement The research necessary for this work and equipment purchase was made possible by a grant from the East Midlands Development Agency