Poll related to handedness between physics, mathematics and chemistry people

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the prevalence of left-handedness among students and professionals in physics, mathematics, and chemistry, particularly those who have completed at least one year of university. Participants share personal experiences, noting a higher-than-expected proportion of left-handed individuals in their academic circles, with some suggesting that left-handedness may be more common in these fields compared to the general population, where about 10% are left-handed. A poll indicates a ratio of approximately 1 lefty to 3 righties among respondents, leading to a statistically significant estimate of around 24% left-handedness in this specific group. Concerns about potential biases in the poll are raised, as left-handed individuals may be more inclined to participate in discussions about handedness. Participants also express interest in the relationship between handedness and academic performance, with some advocating for more structured data collection on the topic. Overall, the conversation highlights curiosity about the implications of handedness in scientific disciplines and the social dynamics surrounding it.

Question already included

  • I am/was a university/college student and write with my right hand.

    Votes: 59 72.0%

  • I am/was a university/college student and write with my left hand.

    Votes: 18 22.0%

  • I am/was a university/college student and write with both hands. (Please specify)

    Votes: 3 3.7%

  • I don't have two hands but I use the left or right hand to write (Please specify in a post).

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other. (Specify in a post please so I can modify my poll if I missed something important).

    Votes: 2 2.4%
  • Total voters
    82
fluidistic
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I'm particularly interested in knowing the proportion of people who write with their left hand in physics, mathematics and chemistry (students who completed at least 1 year at university/college or people who already finished their university studies; including therefore professors and people who switched area of work). I personally noticed lots of people writing with their left hand between my friends and professors hence my curiosity.

Note: I personally write with my right hand even though I use my left hand/leg/eye for many things left handed people do. I'm only interested with which hand(s) you write, not whether your leg, eye and brain is "lefty"/"righty".
I repeat, this poll is only for people who completed at least 1 year at university level in either of the three mentioned areas.
Thanks!

P.S.: If you voted, please specify your area of study in a post.
I can (and do) use both hands to write but I'm more comfortable with my right hand.
 
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Chemistry news on Phys.org
Sorry to insist so much guys but if you voted, please post in what area you study(ied) :) thanks!
 
fluidistic said:
Sorry to insist so much guys but if you voted, please post in what area you study(ied) :) thanks!

I'm a right-handed person who's working towards a B.Sc. in mathematics.
 
Lefty engineering.
 
Mathematics with the right hand.
 
Computer science with any extremity that is available to strike keys on the keyboard.
Mathematics, wringing latex formulas from the keyboard.
Physics only in the mind and communicated through the keyboard possibly with pictures.

Oh, and I'm right handed. :smile:
 
Mathematics, right.
 
Mathematical Physics, right.
 
Voted.

I'm a Junior Physics Major (namely Optics), right handed.
 
  • #10
Electrical and computer engineering, righty... training to be ambidexterous.
 
  • #11
I do Physics, and *write* with my left hand. I didn't vote yet, can't find the poll in PF mobile. Greg should do something about it. :biggrin:
 
  • #12
physics, neuroscience, left
 
  • #13
Right-handed physics major
 
  • #14
Mechanical Engineering, Righty :)
 
  • #15
I haven't completed a year of college, because I'm still in high school, but I have taken calculus I and II and a proof class. I haven't taken more because I couldn't afford it this semester.

I think you should include a category for dual enrollment students who excel in those topics.

[BTW, I voted college/right.]
 
  • #16
other. electrical engineering. right-handed. it's more math than physics, i'd say.

kinda wondering where you're going with this. my expectation is that chemistry would sway with more verbal types, and maybe lefties.
 
  • #17
mathematics and I write with my bellybutton ( but tell everyone i write with right hand )
 
  • #18
I use my feet and mouth to write.
 
  • #19
currently 9 Lefties, 27 Righties voted on PF
1 in 10 people is lefthanded

from 1:9 to 1:3, that's three times the odds that a college PF'er participating in this poll is a lefty.
 
  • #20
Speaking of left handers... I was at a meeting at the, then current, place of my employment, that will go unnamed. Storage Tek, maybe. Every one the five were left handed, as well as myself. So I made some unkindly remark about left-handers.

Not one of them noticed I was also taking notes left handed. This can't be good.
 
  • #21
Math physics double- lefty.
 
  • #22
Mathematics (statistics,applied,pure) Right handed
 
  • #23
Left-handed and currently doing a PhD in physics.
 
  • #24
Thank you all guys for your honesty and participation. The poll should not close so we will have a more reliable statistic data as time goes on.
Proton Soup said:
kinda wondering where you're going with this. my expectation is that chemistry would sway with more verbal types, and maybe lefties.
Interesting thoughts/guess. I actually didn't think of making guesses as why there are more lefties in the sciences than in the general population, if there's of course any difference. I just realized that there was lots of lefties around me at university.
flyingpig said:
I use my feet and mouth to write.
Oh you're one of those people. Good to know. What did you vote by the way?

Pythagorean said:
currently 9 Lefties, 27 Righties voted on PF
1 in 10 people is lefthanded

from 1:9 to 1:3, that's three times the odds that a college PF'er participating in this poll is a lefty.

Now 10 vs 30, still the same ratio: one third.
I wish this poll was "stuck" in the top of the thread for some days. :biggrin:
 
  • #25
Chem/right
 
  • #26
Physics - right.
 
  • #27
Interesting! :smile:

According to what I've learned about statistics, this means that in our PF group, we have an estimated population mean of 24 ± 7 % left handed people (based on 10 left handed people out of a population of 41).

According to wikipedia 10% of the world population is left handed.
In particular this means that this result is statistically significant (H0: μ=10%, Ha: μ>10%, alpha=1%).
 
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  • #28
This is now a lefty elitist thread. Righties may participate, but only as targets of our elitism.
 
  • #29
Pythagorean said:
This is now a lefty elitist thread. Righties may participate, but only as targets of our elitism.
My younger brother writes with his left. He throws baseballs (and punches vs jabs) with his right, and he fly-casts right-handed. Hmmm.

His case is about opposite some people that I know who were "forced" to write right-handed while nobody really cared what else they did left-handed.

I may be his counter-example because although I write right-handed (and my cursive is beyond sloppy!) a lot of my fine dexterity (fingering bends, tremolo, etc) shows up in my left hand and figures very strongly in my guitar-playing. I have developed some dexterity in my right too (through finger-picking), but my strong suit is quick, smooth transitions, bends, etc with the left. I just "hear" what I want to play and my left hand responds. I have to work much harder on the right-hand skills and monitor them.
 
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  • #30
I like Serena said:
Interesting! :smile:

According to what I've learned about statistics, this means that in our PF group, we have an estimated population mean of 24 ± 7 % left handed people (based on 10 left handed people out of a population of 41).

According to wikipedia 10% of the world population is left handed.
In particular this means that this result is statistically significant (H0: μ=10%, Ha: μ>10%, alpha=1%).

I'd worry that the poll leads to a natural bias... that people who are left-handed (in the minority of the general population) are perhaps more interested to click on a thread about handedness.

I write with my right hand, but CAN write both with my left hand and upside-down-and-backwards with my right. (Upside-down-and-backwards is particularly useful in the teaching profession if you are facing the students desk, instead of beside them in some manner at a desk or board.)
 
  • #31
Pythagorean said:
This is now a lefty elitist thread. Righties may participate, but only as targets of our elitism.

:smile:
 
  • #32
physics girl phd said:
I'd worry that the poll leads to a natural bias... that people who are left-handed (in the minority of the general population) are perhaps more interested to click on a thread about handedness.

Yep. That looks like the most likely bias.
I can think of a couple of other biases, but they seem, well, just less likely.

To address that we should count for instance how many people in a class with science students take their notes with their left hand...
 
  • #33
Right-handed. I had a left-handed Ph.D. supervisor.
I like Serena said:
To address that we should count for instance how many people in a class with science students take their notes with their left hand...

First assignment for PFers (instructors and students) for the new semester.
 
  • #34
physics girl phd said:
I'd worry that the poll leads to a natural bias... that people who are left-handed (in the minority of the general population) are perhaps more interested to click on a thread about handedness.

I write with my right hand, but CAN write both with my left hand and upside-down-and-backwards with my right. (Upside-down-and-backwards is particularly useful in the teaching profession if you are facing the students desk, instead of beside them in some manner at a desk or board.)

see how the right-handers harp on our pride while in the same breath pretending to be one of us? My friends, this is the enemy!

they hath designed powertools so that ye shall poke out thine own eyes. RISE, my sinister goat-hand friends!
 
  • #35
Maybe we should ask the question when members register :) Along with their studies. (of course as optional)
I feel bad the poll is biased though.
Still surprising to me.

Edit: We should maybe count only the votes where people precised what they study, etc. When people posted. Otherwise anyone can enter here and vote dishonestly without precising if they are/were really science students. I'd personally trust much more someone that post "I'm an electrical engineer student and voted left" even though he's lying, versus someone that votes without saying a word.
 
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  • #36
If we're proposing new features, then I think it would be great to be able to ask questions to all PF users(those already registered). One could implement this by asking everyone who hasn't been asked the question when they log in.
 
  • #37
Well, since I just recently finished my first year of university, I guess I am now qualified to vote on this poll xD. I'm a physics major and I write exclusively with my right hand as far as I can tell :)
 
  • #38
I am now doing a physics MSc, typically write with the RH but if something has happened to it or I'm using it for eating etc writing with my LH instead isn't too difficult. I actually used my LF when I first started to learn to write but my primary school teacher made me switch because writing chinese characters really is easier with RH.
 
  • #39
Right hand. There's no option for high school students, but I don't care, so I voted as a college student anyway.
 
  • #40
AnTiFreeze3 said:
Right hand. There's no option for high school students, but I don't care, so I voted as a college student anyway.

Reported for dishonesty.
 
  • Like
Likes 1 person
  • #41
micromass said:
Reported for dishonesty.

Praised for adherence to rules.
 
  • #42
Electrical, I don't use left or right hand to write. I have a third one for that.
 
  • #43
Mathematics with the right; physics with the left.
 
  • #44
Number Nine said:
Mathematics with the right; physics with the left.

But... but physics has mathematics *head explodes*
 

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