Constraints From Simulation Improve Experiential Outcomes in Laboratory Environment
In a first-year physics inquiry lab, pairs of students were randomly assigned to study pendulum motion using either a physical apparatus or a computer simulation. The experiment required detecting a ~1% difference in period between pendulums released at 10$^\circ$ and 20$^\circ$. This is the subtle failure of the small angle approximation and a goal that demands iteratively refined, high-precision measurements. Students using the simulation achieved significantly more reproducible timing measurements across all rounds of data collection and, by the third round, had also adopted more effective data collection strategies overall. As a result, 78% of simulation groups met the precision threshold required to identify the model failure, compared with 52% of physical apparatus groups. We attribute these outcomes primarily to a specific simulation constraint: students were required to use the simulation's built-in timer, which forced them to decouple pendulum release from the start of timing. This prevented students from pursuing a reaction-time-limited synchronization strategy that often traps users of physical apparatus in a low-precision measurement dead end. A post-lab survey further shows that students using simulations were more confident in their results than those who instead used a physical pendulum, as well as preferred greater use of simulations in future labs. These findings suggest that carefully designed simulation constraints can guide students toward productive experimental strategies while preserving their investigative autonomy.