Physics classes conducted a bike lab experiment on Sep. 24 and 25. Students had to ride a bike during this collaborative activity while others held stopwatches and recorded data.

“The main learning objective is to find out about the graphs of motion and how they change depending on how fast you’re going and what direction you’re going,” physics teacher David Borst said.

While technology has advanced far beyond what is used in the lab, students are required to use handheld stopwatches to record time intervals when the bike crosses their designated line. This data is later used in equations to calculate velocity and plot graphs.

“You could get digital timers that would be more precise,” Borst said. “but it’s kind of fun for everybody to have a stopwatch and do it. So this is definitely like an old school lab, you could get more high tech things like speedometers and stuff. But it is to kind of see the basics of [physics].”

Hands-on labs allow students to experiment with collaboration and real life applications of physics or other science units. Labs are a part of the curriculum, but also something that science teachers apply frequently to supplement textbook and classroom learning.

“[My favorite part was] most definitely just experiencing all of the people getting along with each other,” junior Harris Field said.

Students had an overall positive response to the lab, as it gave them a hands-on opportunity to apply what they learned. Additionally, the bike lab is a student led lab, where the teachers are there to explain and help students if needed.

“[Labs] let you do something to show you what you’ll actually be doing in physics, it’s what physics is all about,” junior Evan Landeck said.