Science Smarts: Wait. Does time really ‘fly’?

By Patty Rooks on March 1, 2025.

I do not know about you, but time seems to fly by these days! So many schools are busy preparing for their Science Fairs, I have little time to think about anything else. Not to mention the planning for the 50th anniversary of the Regional Science Fair. Well, you know me, this has me thinking. Does time really “fly.” Perhaps there is some science here we should investigate further. Let’s get started!

*Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment.

Materials

– Stopwatch

– Science helper(s)

– Science notebook

– Pencil or pen

– Activity/book of interest to the science helper

– Quiet place to do the experiment

Procedure

1. Find a nice quiet place to do the experiment. You want it to be free from any distractions and only the two of you in the room for “testing” so you can conduct an accurate science experiment.

2. Have the science helper sit down and get comfortable. In order to prepare for the task, ask them to remain quiet for one minute and to let you know when THEY think one minute is up. Without the science helper seeing, start your stopwatch and time one minute. DO NOT LET THEM see this. In your science notebook, record the time they thought one minute was up and when the stopwatch recorded one minute.

3. This time, have your friend read a book, or do a fun activity with you. Repeat what you did previously; have them tell you when they think one minute is up AND use the stopwatch to see when one minute has actually passed. Record the results.

4. Repeat several times.

5. What did you find out?

6. If you want you can also test a couple of people in order to get more accurate results.

What is going on?

In my research, I have found that brain activity changes depending on whether we are focused on a task or focused on the time. If you are bored, this will trigger brain activity, making it seem like time is going sooooo slow. It seems like it will never end. On the other hand, when you are concentrating on a task to complete, or something you enjoy, your brain is focused on the activity you are doing instead of thinking about how slowly time is passing. So, the old saying “time flies when you are having fun” may not be entirely accurate. If you are focused on getting something finished (like your homework) it will seem like it went faster if you focus and just finish it instead of thinking it will never end.

Registration is open for the Regional Science Fair on March 22. It is going to be a great day as we are celebrating our 50th anniversary!! To register, visit: https://www.online-registration-system.com/ab/seab/. We are also in need of judges to help out, visit the registration page for further details.

Patty Rooks, senior scientific consultant PRAXIS, “Connecting Science To The Community.” Contact Praxis at praxis@praxismh.ca, http://www.praxismh.ca, Tweet or follow us @PraxisMedHat, or friend us on Facebook. Address: 12 826 11th Street SE, Medicine Hat, AB, T1A 1T7 Phone: 403-527-5365, email: praxis@praxismh.ca.

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