Swinging Into Science

Suffield Academy’s Research Methods Honors class has kicked off the year with a project that looks simple on the surface—studying the motion of pendulums—but carries big lessons about how science works. You might spot students measuring swings in stairwells or even from the balcony of Memorial Hall as they test their designs.

The goal of the course is to introduce students to the essential tools of scientific research: understanding how to measure carefully, how to account for errors, and how to analyze results. In their first unit, students are exploring how to calculate the gravitational acceleration of Earth by timing pendulum swings. To do this, they’re collecting data both the old-fashioned way—with stopwatches and measuring tapes—and with cutting-edge technology, using an app called Phyphox that turns a smartphone into a physics sensor.

“Every measurement has some uncertainty,” explains Science Department Chair Paul Caginalp “We want students to see how data changes depending on the method used and learn how to account for that in their analysis.” Throughout the fall, students will practice three key ways of handling error in experiments: error propagation, statistical analysis, and least-squares fitting. Each lab culminates in a written paper, giving students hands-on practice in both conducting and communicating science.

By turning everyday tools and real-world settings into laboratories, Research Methods Honors is helping students understand not just physics, but the process of science itself—messy, creative, and full of discovery.