Simplicity, Compactness, and Elegance of Experimental Research

Guided by the hypothesis, one may visualize the kind of arrange­ment among several pieces of equipment to constitute the setup. It is worth one’s while to review each conceived piece of equip­ment individually, asking oneself crucial questions: Is it possible to eliminate a given piece of equipment and still accomplish the purpose? Is there a substitute that is less elaborate? Is it possible to combine its function with that of another? And so on. A sketch similar to a block diagram is helpful in visualizing at this stage. One may be surprised to learn that the first impression is not necessarily the best. As in many other aspects of life, a little intro­-spection may reveal the many wasteful means to accomplish the given end. Fewer pieces of equipment require less space and fewer connections, and fewer things can go wrong. It is not rare to find, on close observation, a researcher building a setup with all the care and elaboration of a spider weaving its web, with this differ­ence: the researcher’s setup could be revised through much think­ing and rethinking before he started to build. Sitting amid a very elaborate web of equipment may impress peers and supervisors, but if it is built in a hurry, instead of serving as a means, the web may become itself an end, the researcher trapped with many avoidable headaches.

Arranging at one end of the room (often a “cage” in a univer­sity lab) the different pieces of equipment as close to each other as possible but allowing access to each, having the controls (for example, electric switches) and measuring devices (including meters) arranged on a switchboard, clearly naming and marking each item, and having desk space at or near the entry is a better arrangement than scattering the various items all around and having the desk in the middle. Appropriate grounding of electri­cal connections, shielding against radiation and heat, and safety devices should be present and double-checked. Ample light at the entry and inside the room, dampening mechanical vibrations, adequate ventilation, and so forth, should be given as much care as the setup itself. The elegance of housekeeping varies among individuals, and it is likely to show in one’s setup. But below a level necessary, it is likely to lead not only to clumsiness and con­fusion, but to danger as well.

Source: Srinagesh K (2005), The Principles of Experimental Research, Butterworth-Heinemann; 1st edition.