Experimental Research: Types, Examples & Methods

Experimental research is the most familiar type of research design for individuals in the physical sciences and a host of other fields. This is mainly because experimental research is a classical scientific experiment, similar to those performed in high school science classes. Imagine taking 2 samples of the same plant and exposing one of

Defining Science

Attempts to define the word “science” offer many variations, none of which may be complete or fully satisfactory. The word “science,” a derivative from the Latin scientia, simply means knowledge. We know that any person with great knowledge is not necessarily a scientist, as we currently use the word. On the other hand, the

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Science: Play or Profession?

Apart from the definition(s), it is to be understood that science, per se, is not the theme of this book. There are many books and articles devoted to the definition, delineation, and explanation of what science is, to discussing what its aims and activities should be, and even to philosophizing about what its limitations

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Science and Research

The word “research,” like many others, has acquired a wide cur­rency over the past several decades. Relatively few people con­ducted research in the first half of the twentieth century. Those who were known to be doing research were looked upon as belonging to an elite class, often shrouded in mystery, not unlike the FBI

Varieties of Experimental Research

To experiment is to try, to look for, to confirm. A familiar exam­ple may make the meaning clear. After getting ready in the morn­ing to go to the office, I look for the keys. I can’t find them. I am mildly agitated. Thoughts of not getting to the office, of not get­ting the notes

Conventional Researchers

The most typical and common experimental works of our times, are the works of Research scientists and technologists employed in a career in private or government-supported institutions and orga­nizations, including the military Thousands of scientists and engineers in the making, namely registered graduate students working toward uni­versity degrees, such as an M.S. or Ph.D.

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Toward Definition

The following is a segment from the Dialogues of Plato1: Socrates: “What I asked you, my friend, was, What is piety? and you have not explained to me, to my satisfaction. You only tell me that what you are doing now, namely, prosecuting your father for murder, is a pious act.” After some cajoling

Defining “Definition”

How do we define “definition”? It is somewhat disappointing to learn that there is no one definition, acceptable to most, if not all, logicians. This surprise will soon disappear when we notice that several functions performed as a way of clarifying expressions (or statements), either completely with words or with combinations of words and

Common Terms Used in Definitions

Though the word “definition” itself defies definition, the com­ponents that constitute a definition are delimited fairly well as follows: Term,: Word or group of words, such as phrases, clauses, or one or more assertive sentences. To the extent that terms are defined, when need be, communication between or among researchers becomes precise. In the

Varieties of Definitions

1. Direct and B. Indirect Definitions Direct definitions are explicit in nature; hence, the definiens can replace the definiendum without any further need for elaboration or explanation. If a definition forms a part of a whole statement, and if after replacing the definiendum with the definiens, the statement can be repeated without any loss

Need for Definitions

We opened this chapter quoting the dialog of Socrates on defini­tion as a way of showing how definitions are created. The need for definition, according to many modern logicians, arises because of the possible effects of what are meant by the two words most often mentioned: “vagueness” and “ambiguity.” “Vagueness” itself may be understood

What Definitions Should and Should Not Do

Even among logicians, there is no unanimity as to what ought to be called “definitions.” Having said this, we mention below briefly, without the constraints of quotation, some of the desir­able and some of the undesirable traits of definitions, as expressed by logicians. A definition should Make communication possible when it is impossi­ble without

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Quantity and Quality in Research

One can think of several cases in which the distinctive feature that separates the scientific from the nonscientific is quantifica­tion, which means expressing laws or relations in terms of quanti­ties combined with qualities rather than by qualities alone. To mention that New York city is full of criminals is a nonscientific expression in contrast

The Uses of Numbers in Research

Recognition of the importance of numbers, the basis of all quan­tification, dates back to Pythagoras (572—500 BC). One of the first steps ever taken toward the formation of science was count­ing, using numbers. Otherwise, it is hardly possible to express anything with at least some degree of the precision needed for science. Whether the

An Intellectual Close-up of Counting in Research

Counting requires that the group within which it is done be sep­arable. If it is said that there are more people in Chicago than in New York, it is understood that the areas that are officially demarcated as Chicago and New York are known without ambi­guity, relative to their various suburbs, that only people

The Process of Measurement in Research

After admitting that counting is the basis of measurement, we may ask the question, Can any quality whatsoever of a thing or things (external to us) be measured? If we supply the answer no to open the issue, then a more specific question is, What are the qualities that can be measured? Let us

Quantities and Measurements in Research

We have noted that in the process of answering the question, How many? (when relevant), we need counting, and that count­ing, besides being a measurement by itself, is the basis of all other measurements. When we measure the height of a person who is, let us say, 5’10”, we are in effect counting the

Derived Quantities in Research

Using only the three quantities mentioned above, we can make a lot of measurements in the physical world. For instance, confin­ing ourselves to length alone, we can measure the area of a given (flat) surface. Consider an area whose length is 3 inches and the width is 2 inches. If we draw the lines

Units for Measurement in Research

A unit is a quantity used as a standard, in terms of which other quantities of the same kind can be measured or expressed. We discussed earlier measuring the height of a person and used the inch as the unit of length. The inch itself is an arbitrarily defined quantity, meaning there is nothing

Fundamental Quantities and Dimensions in Research

We have mentioned three quantities—length, mass, and time— with some familiar units to express these. We may at this point note that the inch, the pound, and the second used in this discus­sion are simply circumstantial, in that, being located in the United States, I have used the units familiar to the general public