How to calculate biorhythms by hand

Biorhythms Project

What Sinusoids do you live by?

About Biorhythms:

According to a theory called biorhythms, everyone has three inner rhythms that start at birth: a 23 day physical cycle (strength, energy, endurance, and resistance to disease), a 28 day emotional cycle (elation, sadness, moodiness, and creativity), and a 33 day intellectual cycle (alertness, memory, and reasoning ability).

Each cycle consists of a high stage, a low stage, and a critical transition day when a person moves from one stage to the other. These three cycles can be graphed so that a person can determine in advance when “good” and “bad” days will occur. Generally, the more high or positive a given cycle is at any given time, the better one can interact in the related arena. These are the days when athletic records are set, you are feeling on top of the world, or you seem particularly intellectual. These peaks occur approximately once per month for each cycle. The reverse is true during low or negative points of a cycle. These are not considered bad days, but rather days when you mind and body are at rest. If you are at a negative point, you CAN perform well in the affected area, but it will just be more difficult. It is the neutral times, called “critical days”, where the graph crosses the axis, that are the days to be careful.

The graph of each biorhythm cycle is sinusoidal. These rhythms or cycles all began at birth. But because each cycle has a different length (period), the relationship to each other is constantly changing. For instance, your physical cycle may be reaching a high point, your emotional cycle at a low and your intellectual cycle at midpoint or a critical day. The relationship of these three rhythms determines in large measure how you feel and react on that day.

Above is a typical biorhythm chart for the month of November. The three sine graphs representing the physical, emotional, and intellectual cycles, have different periods (23, 28, and 33 days respectively.)

0 < x < 30

Emotional: line graph Physical: thick line graph Intellectual: dotted line graph

Graphing your Biorhythms:

To determine your biorhythm chart, first you must calculate the total number of days you have lived. Don’t forget leap year. The last leap year was in 2016.) Then you must divide the number of days by the period of each of the three cycles and compute the remainder. That remainder will determine where you would begin each cycle. For example, if the remainder when you divide by 23 is 9, then you are on the 9th day of your physical cycle. Another way of thinking about this is to say that if you consider today as t = 0, then your sinusoid had a horizontal shift of -9.

Your project is as follows:

1. Calculate the number of days you have lived as of February 17, 2021.

a. What is your date of birth (month, day, year)?

b. How many years old are you?

c. As of February 17, 2021, how many days since your last birthday?

d. How many leap years have you lived through?

2. Find which day of each cycle you will be on February 17, 2021. (You will find your horizontal shift from this value.)

3. Graph your biorhythms on graph paper, by hand, beginning with February 1 and continuing for the entire month. Your x-axis should go from 1 to 28 (representing the month of February 2021) and the y-axis from 1 to –1 with a scale of .25. Make sure to label each axis. Use the following colors for each cycle and clearly label them. Use the whole paper for your graphs.

· Physical cycle (green)

· Emotional cycle (red)

· Intellectual cycle (blue)

4. Answer the Reflection Questions on Biorhythms and turn it in with your Biorhythm Graph Paper.

5. Label your x-axis and y-axis.

6. Provide a new graph for a celebrity/professional athlete.

7. Your work needs to be put in a folder.

Reflecting on Biorhythms: (Turn in with Biorhythm Graphs)

Except for question 1-3, answer the following questions using complete sentences. Type each answer in such a way, that I should not have to read the question to know what you are answering. If applicable, give your answer in terms of number of days old AND actual date.

1. Write the equation for the physical rhythm.

2. Write the equation for the emotional rhythm.

3. Write the equation for the intellectual rhythm.

4. What is your best physical day(s) for February?

5. What is your worst physical day(s) for February?

6. What is your best emotional day(s) for February?

7. What is your worst emotional day(s) for February?

8. When should I schedule a test in order for you to do your best? Explain.

9. When should I not schedule a test in fear that you may do poorly. Explain.

10. What will be your best overall day during the month and why?

11. When are your critical days?

· Physical

· Emotional

· Intellectual

Provide a new graph, on a separate paper of a Celebrity/Professional Athlete.

12. Write a few sentences as to your belief or non-belief to this theory of biorhythms and explain.

Biorhythms Project Rubric

NAME

DUE _____________________

Points possible

Points earned

Cover page

· Be typed

· Include an appropriate/Creative title

· Include your name, date, class, period

· Be neat

8

Graph #1

All 3 rhythms for February

20

Graph #2

All 3 rhythms of a celebrity/professional athlete

20

Question

#4 - 9

Day(s) and date(s) given for correct analysis of graph given

12

Question #10

Accurate date & discussion of “best overall” day

5

Questions #11

Accurate discussion of critical days

5

Question #12

Discussion of beliefs in the theory of biorhythms

5

Project is neat, organized, well structured, and typed

10

Directions followed

10

English language is used correctly throughout paper (1/2 pt deduction for each error max deduction 5 pts)

5