Mendel Hands-on Activity Instructions Data
Survey at least 20 people to find out what traits they have for each of the features below. Tally the numbers for each trait and record those totals in each column.

When completing the survey, be sure to include yourself as one of the individuals surveyed. Also include at least one set of parents and offspring in the individuals you survey. Document the features of each member of the family you surveyed within the data table, but also make a special note of these features in the observation section of your report. This information will be important when writing your conclusion.


EarlobesFree Earlobes Attached Earlobes
Hair on knucklesHair present between second and third knuckle of fingers No hair present between second and third knuckle of fingers
Hair Line (widow’s peak vs. straight hair line)Widow’s peak Straight hair line
Hair textureCurly hair (count wavy hair as curly) Straight hair
Chin shape (no cleft chin vs. cleft chin)Cleft chin No cleft chin
Observations:
Record the traits of each member of the family (parents and offspring) that you surveyed. Add more rows to the table for additional offspring as needed.

Family MemberEarlobesHair on KnucklesHair LineHair TextureChin Shape
Father
Mother
Offspring 1
Calculations:
Calculate the percentages for each trait in your total sample and list those percentages in this section of your assignment.

Example calculation: (12 people with widow’s peaks ÷ 20 total people) × 100 = 60% widow’s peaks

FeatureTraitCalculated Percentage
EarlobesFree Earlobes Attached Earlobes
Hair on knucklesHair present between second and third knuckle of fingers No hair present between second and third knuckle of fingers
Hair Line (widow's peak vs. straight hair line)Widow's peak Straight hair line
Hair textureCurly hair (count wavy hair as curly) Straight hair
Chin shape (no cleft chin vs. cleft chin)Cleft chin No cleft chin
Analysis and Conclusion:
Write a conclusion paragraph analyzing your results. In your conclusion, be sure to address the following questions:

Identify the trait that you believe to be dominant for each of the features surveyed. Explain your reasoning.
What recessive features do you exhibit? Do you have any relatives who exhibit those same features?
In the family you surveyed, what features did the offspring share with one or both parents? Were there any features that the offspring exhibited that were not exhibited by either parent?
How is it possible for an offspring to exhibit a recessive trait if neither parent exhibited that recessive trait? What must be true about the parents’ genes for this to occur?
Are there any results in your data that surprised you?
It is possible that a recessive trait in a survey such as this one may have a greater total number than its dominant counterpart. Explain how that might happen in an investigation like this.
How might surveying a different number of people or different population of people possibly change the percentages that you calculated?

(Any and all help is wanted!!!)