April 6, 2011

Expermental Precautions.

Today we're going to take a look at the fundamentals of any scientific experiments - precautions.

Precautions are necessary to obtain the most consistent and accurate result in whatever scientific experiment you're doing, and therefore it would be handy to prepare a list of them before you even begin the experiment.

That said, the precautions below are fundamentals and must be observed at all time. By that I mean that they are general enough to be used in any experiments. It's a rough list, but I suppose it's passable.

Precautions:
1. Close all windows to simulate a closed environment.
2. Switch off all fans to reduce air movement
3. All instruments are checked for parallax errors before the experiment
4. Care is taken not to disturb the instruments while the experiment is ongoing
5. All readings are taken at eye level to avoid parallax errors
6. Multiple readings are taken and the mean is used to obtain a more accurate value.

That said, precautions vary according to the type of experiment. Exercise logic combined with a little scientific knowledge and you'll do fine.

The more precautions you have, the more likely your result will be accurate.

9 comments:

  1. Could be useful.
    Thanks

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  2. With plenty of laboratory experience I can say, this is accurate.
    Here's another golden rule of experimenting: NEVER WORK ALONE. If you have an accident, you need someone to provide first aid or call an ambulance.

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  3. I gotta try this once

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  4. almost as http://wimp.com/somethingdifferent/ love it

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  5. Fine, but I was just about to say what Patres said, never work alone. Scientific laboratories can be dangerous and if you're working in one alone, you're screwed if you have an accident

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  6. setting up labs is fun, just be careful! ;)

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  7. Very true, nice post :)

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  8. I dunno. When im working with extremely caustic stuff like 10M HCl, I keep all windows and vents open. It depends on the experiment!

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Yes, Cerebrate?