Who wants cake?
Imagine this: you have just gotten to your friend's house when, oh my! a delicious smell hits your nose - chocolate cake! Your friend's mom offers you piece and it is the most delicious chocolate cake you have ever tasted. You beg her for the recipe so you can make it at home. She writes down the recipe and hands it to you. Here is what you see:
Will this recipe allow you to make the same chocolate cake? Of course not. But why? First off, none of the amounts of each ingredient are included. Secondly, you have no idea the steps to mix up this wonderful dessert - and it does matter which order you put the ingredients into the bowl! A good experimental design is exactly like a good recipe. All of the items you need to conduct that experiment must be listed first WITH the amounts of each item you need. Below this list should be a step by step guide on how to conduct your experiment. The first step should always be: 1. Gather your materials.
Why so particular? Why is it necessary to be so precise? Because good science can be replicated or repeated. You should be able to take anyone's experimental design and repeat their experiment as they did and get the same results - just like a good recipe will allow you to create that same wonderful food you ate and loved. |