What does being left-handed mean? A very good question. For the purposes of this document, being left-handed means having a preference for using your left hand for a variety of tasks, including reaching, throwing, pointing, catching. It also implies a preference for using your left foot for tasks such as kicking, as well as the preferred foot with which to begin walking, running and bicycling. However, there are no hard and fast rules for determining which hand or foot the Lefthander prefers to use for a particular task. Most will prefer to use the left hand or foot for delicate work. One may also have a dominant left eye, preferring to use the left eye for telescopes, camera sights, and microscopes. In general, being left-handed means having a dominant right side of the brain.
What does being ambidextrous mean? To be ambidextrous means to be equally dextrous with either hand. That is, the ability to use both hands with equal skill and coor- dination.
What percentage of the population is left handed? There have been many different numbers put forth, with the most common numbers we have seen being in the area of 13 percent. However, we have seen numbers as high as 30 percent, when you allow a very loose definition of left-handedness.
Is lefthandedness inherited? While lefthanders doubtless runs in some families, scientists are unsure that the issue is completely resolved. Part of the problem has to do whether a person's hand preference is the result of genetic determination or some other reason ie forced to switch because of convention, accident, what ever.
Are lefthanders naturally clumsy? An emphatic NO to this. The problem most lefthanders have is that the world is configured for right handed people. Lefties, in the act of accommodating to this opposite world, may appear awkward using tools that have right hand preference designed into them. However, right-handers display even more awkwardness using left handed tools than lefthanders do using right handed tools. This is probably because righthanders are less used to adapting.
Is there a quick test to determine eye dominance? Try the following to determine eye dominance. With both eyes open, line up the tip of your finger, at arm's length, with a distant object. Close each eye separately. The eye that results in the object and you finger remaining aligned is your dominant eye.
What makes a cup right or left handed? First, you must realize that (drinking) cups come in two varieties: symmetric and not symmetric. Cups that are not symmetric may have a lip to ease pouring the contents. If this kind of cup is right handed, the lip will be on the side of the cup which is away from the body, which allows for a easy neat motion. If this cup is picked up with the left hand, the lip is toward the body, which makes it awkward and messy to pour. For symmetric cups, the problem is that when the decoration is only on one side. When the right handed individual picks up a right handed cup, he is able to see and enjoy the decoration. A leftie using that cup presents the decoration to the world; he is unable to see it. Lefties would benefit with symmetric cups with designs on both sides; cups with lips would have to be made in both right and left handed varieties.
What makes scissors right or left handed? You can see the difference easily, by placing the scissors on the table like this: \ / \/ /\ O O For right-hand scissors, the part of the scissors lying `on top' at the intersection of the two parts, will be the one from top-left to bottom-right, whereas for left-hand scissors, the uppermost will be the part from bottom-left to top-right. Turning the scissors around or up-side down won't change this relationship. Secondly the reason for this difference lies in the way the scissors are opened and closed by your left or right hand. When you close the scissors, the cutting edges close and the cutting edges are pressed together because your fingers holding the scissors bend and your thumb stretches. If the cutting edges are pushed away from each other, the material being cut slides in between, and is definitely not cut. This is what happens when you use a right-hand scissors with your left hand. Since your left hand is a mirrored version of your right hand, your scissors should be `mirrored' as well. This is why the cutting edges are made on the opposite side of each part, and the parts are assembled just the opposite way, giving you perfect left-handed scissors.
Do Lefties die younger than right-handers? Stanley Coren, who is the author of "The Lefthander Syndrome" found statistical evidence of this, and didn't believe it for the longest time. However, he remains unable to disprove it. He was able to demonstrate a possible reason for this might be that a left hand startle reflex would be much more dangerous when driving a car on US or Canadian road since the car would end up pointing against traffic while a right hand startle reflex would simply cause the car to drive of the road. As a double check, Coren did find a statistical difference in left handed traffic fatalities in countries where they drive on the left, such as Great Britain or Australia. Many thanks to ...
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