Get a Grip!

Do we hold all objects in the same way? Create a list of different ways of holding different objects with one hand.

• In a fist, with object inside
• With thumb and index finger
• With thumb and middle finger
• With thumb and ring finger
• With thumb and pinky
• With index and middle finger
• With index and ring finger
• With index and pinky
• With middle finger and ring finger
• Spread across palm
• Spread across back of hand
• Inbetween thumb and palm, with all fingers straight

Reach out one of your hands to hold a water bottle or pencil case or any object that you can wrap your fingers around. Observe how you are holding the object. Record these observations in detail both in words and in a drawing.

How I hold my water bottle:

The index, middle, ring and pinky finger are wrapped around the circumference of the bottle. The thumb is wrapped around the bottle in the opposite direction for support.

Read the two questions below and discuss with your partner which question is easier to test:
(a) What is the importance of an opposable thumb for the way in which humans use their hands?
(b) Without using your thumbs, can you unpin your nametag from your uniform?

After discussion, my partner and I decided that question (b) is easier to test. Although both questions are about the importance of the thumb in the human hand, (b) would be simpler to test as it is the experiment leading to the conclusion, which is (a).

Shoelace experiment! :)

In this experiment, my partner (Phoebe) and I took turns to see how quickly we could tie our shoelaces with and without tape around our thumb joints.

Above: The time (in seconds) Phoebe and I took to tie our shoelaces without tape around our thumb joints

Above: The time (in seconds) Phoebe and I took to tie our shoelaces with tape around our thumb joints

Conclusion: Our thumbs are very important when gripping objects with our hands. With tape around our thumb joints, the tape restricted the movement of our thumbs and thus we were unable to use it to help us grip our shoelaces and were forced to use our other digits instead.