Size of a Shoe: More Body Proportions

The Physics Factbook™
Edited by Glenn Elert -- Written by his students
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Abstract

The purpose of this experiment was to determine if the relationship between the height of an individual and the size of their shoes is linear.

Introduction

The foot is a biological structure that enables animals to move. It is logical to believe that the taller an individual is, the bigger their feet should be. The length of the foot should balance the height of the individual to enable them to move easily. Limb growth in humans is genetically balanced. The length of a human foot from the heel to the tip of the big toe is exactly the same length as the forearm from the inside of the elbow and the bend of the wrist.

Procedure

1. Using a meter stick, measure the height of 34 students.
2. Ask the same 34 students for their shoe sizes.
3. Converted the measurement for their shoe sizes using the American Shoe Sizing System.
4. Graphed Height Vs. Shoe Sizes for both males and females.

Analysis

Conclusion

According to the graph, there is a 59% correlation between the height of a person and their shoe sizes. This correlation is relatively weak but it does show a relationship between height and shoe sizes.

Sources of Error

• The sample was limited to only teenage students. Teenagers are not yet fully developed yet and using people from different age groups might show a different correlation between height and shoe sizes.
• The number of trials we did was too small to make an accurate conclusion.

Lily Li, Stephanie Kim, May Wan, Vashti Prasad -- 2007

Students Choice pages in The Physics Factbook™ for 2007

• Physics of the Body
  • Pressure in the human circulatory system: Is gender a factor?
  • Size of a shoe: More body proportions
• Miscellaneous Topics
  • Do seatbelts save lives?
  • Magnetic field of a soft iron magnet
  • Resistance of a resistor: Blame the students or blame the resistors?
  • Speed of a Screaming Slingshot Monkey

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