bunnies in a maze

Question
I'm doing a science fair  on how smart bunnies are so if you would do a maze which bunny  will finish fastest a older or bunny or a smaller one?

Answer
Dear Jenna,

There are too many variables to be able to predict this.  But if you are doing a science fair project, why not test your hypothesis?  You could design a maze and then enlist the help of all your friends who have companion bunnies.  Record everything about the bunnies:  age, sex, breed, health conditions, etc. so that you will be able to control for variables.

Start with a hypothesis such as "Age (or whatever variable you choose) will affect the speed with which a rabbit can complete a maze."  (Notice I haven't said anything about intelligence, since this is only one small measure of smarts.)

You then set up competing (null and alternative) hypotheses:

Null:  There will be no difference in the speed of (old or young) rabbits completing the maze.

Alternative:  There will be a difference in the speed of (old or young) rabbits completing the maze.

You will have to decide what ages to define as "old" and "young".  And you will also have to do enough trials to have a good sample so you know that any differences are not just due to chance.  (Your teacher may be able to help you do a statistical test on your data.)

I hope this helps.

Dana