Experiment! - Oivind Andersson

Experiment!

Planning, Implementing and Interpreting
Buch | Softcover
288 Seiten
2012
John Wiley & Sons Inc (Verlag)
978-0-470-68825-0 (ISBN)
48,10 inkl. MwSt
An intuitive understanding of the experimental method usually evolves through years of trial and error. This book speeds up the journey for the reader to becoming a proficient experimenter.
Experiments are the most effective way to learn about the world. By cleverly interfering with something to see how it reacts we are able to find out how it works. In contrast to passive observation, experimenting provides us with data relevant to our research and thus less time and effort is spent separating relevant from irrelevant information. 

The art of experimentation is often learnt by doing, so an intuitive understanding of the experimental method usually evolves gradually through years of trial and error. This book speeds up the journey for the reader to becoming a proficient experimenter. 

Organized in two parts, this unique text begins by providing a general introduction to the scientific approach to experimentation.  It then describes the processes and tools required, including the relevant statistical and experimental methods.   Towards the end of the book a methodology is presented, which leads the reader through the three phases of an experiment: ‘Planning’, ‘Data Collection’, and ‘Analysis and Synthesis’.

 Experiment!



Provides an excellent introduction to the methodology and implementation of experimentation in the natural, engineering and medical sciences
Puts practical tools into scientific context
Features a number of selected actual experiments to explore what are the key characteristics of good experiments
Includes examples and exercises in every chapter 

This book focuses on general research skills, such as adopting a scientific mindset, learning how to plan meaningful experiments and understanding the fundamentals of collecting and interpreting data. It is directed to anyone engaged in experiments, especially Ph.D. and masters students just starting to create and develop their own experiments.

Dr Öivind Andersson is Assistant Professor in the Department of Energy Sciences at Lund Universitytransparent engines and works with optical measurements in transparent engines. His responsibilities include supervision of several Ph.D. students thus providing opportunities to reflect on how to develop their abilities as experimenters and he has developed and taught a faculty-common Ph.D. course on experimental methodology that partly forms the basis for the proposed book. Before joining Lund University he worked for seven years for the Volvo Car Corporation, both with optical and traditional engine experiments and his duties varied from product development to research tasks. He monitored several of the company's research projects at universities, and was often engaged in discussions about how the outcome of the efforts invested in their experiments could be improved. In 2006 he received the Henry Ford European Technical Achievement Award, for development of a "Low Temperature Concept for Low Emission Diesel Engines", with L. Jacobsson, J. Somhorst, and A. Lööf. He has authored and co-authored 20 scientific publications.

Preface xi

Part One Understanding the World

1 You, the Discoverer 3

11 Venturing into the Unknown 4

12 Embarking on a PhD 5

13 The Art of Discovery 5

14 About this Book 7

15 How to Use this Book 8

Further Reading 10

References 10

2 What is Science? 11

21 Characteristics of the Scientific Approach 11

22 The Inductive Method 14

23 The Hypothetico-Deductive Method 16

24 Consequences of Falsification 19

25 The Role of Confirmation 21

26 Perception is Personal 23

27 The Scientific Community 29

28 Summary 30

Further Reading 31

References 31

3 Science’s Childhood 33

31 Infancy 33

32 Ionian Dawn 34

33 Divine Mathematics 38

34 Adolescence – Revolution! 41

35 The Children of the Revolution 47

36 Summary 50

Further Reading 50

References 51

4 Science Inclined to Experiment 53

41 Galileo’s Important Experiment 54

42 Experiment or Hoax? 56

43 Reconstructing the Experiment 58

44 Getting the Swing of Things 60

45 The Message from the Plane 62

46 Summary 63

References 64

5 Scientists, Engineers and Other Poets 65

51 Research and Development 65

52 Characteristics of Research 68

53 Building Theories 70

54 The Relationship between Theory and Reality 75

55 Creativity 77

56 Summary 79

Further Reading 80

References 80

Part Two Interfering with the World

6 Experiment! 83

61 What is an Experiment? 83

62 Questions, Answers and Experiments 85

63 A Gallery of Experiments 88

64 Reflections on the Exhibition 108

65 Summary 110

Further Reading 110

References 112

7 Basic Statistics 113

71 The Role of Statistics in Data Analysis 113

72 Populations and Samples 115

73 Descriptive Statistics 116

74 Probability Distribution 122

75 The Central Limit Effect 126

76 Normal Probability Plots 129

77 Confidence Intervals 132

78 The t-Distribution 134

79 Summary 136

Further Reading 137

References 138

8 Statistics for Experiments 139

81 A Teatime Experiment 139

82 The Importance of Randomization 141

83 One-Sided and Two-Sided Tests 142

84 The t-Test for One Sample 143

85 The Power of a Test 148

86 Comparing Two Samples 150

87 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) 155

88 A Measurement System Analysis 159

89 Other Useful Hypothesis Tests 163

810 Interpreting p-Values 164

811 Correlation 165

812 Regression Modeling 167

813 Summary 171

Further Reading 172

References 173

9 Experimental Design 175

91 Statistics and the Scientific Method 175

92 Designs with One Categorical Factor 176

93 Several Categorical Factors: the Full Factorial Design 178

94 Are Interactions Important? 186

95 Factor Screening: Fractional Factorial Designs 187

96 Determining the Confounding Pattern 188

97 Design Resolution 190

98 Working with Screening Designs 191

99 Continuous Factors: Regression and Response Surface Methods 195

910 Summary 207

Further Reading 208

References 209

10 Phase I: Planning 211

101 The Three Phases of Research 211

102 Experiment 1: Visual Orientation in a Beetle 213

103 Experiment 2: Lift-Off Length in a Diesel Engine 216

104 Finding Out What is Not Known 218

105 Determining the Scope 221

106 Tools for Generating Hypotheses 222

107 Thought Experiments 227

108 Planning Checklist 229

109 Summary 231

References 233

11 Phase II: Data Collection 235

111 Generating Understanding from Data 235

112 Measurement Uncertainty 236

113 Developing a Measurement System 238

114 Measurement System Analysis 244

115 The Data Collection Plan 248

116 Summary 251

Further Reading 252

References 252

12 Phase III: Analysis and Synthesis 253

121 Turning Data into Information 253

122 Graphical Analysis 256

123 Mathematical Analysis 259

124 Writing a Scientific Paper 260

125 Writing a PhD Thesis 264

126 Farewell 266

127 Summary 266

Further Reading 266

References 267

Appendix 269

Standard Normal Probabilities 269

Probability Points for the t-Distribution 270

Index 271

Verlagsort New York
Sprache englisch
Maße 189 x 245 mm
Gewicht 494 g
Themenwelt Mathematik / Informatik Mathematik
Naturwissenschaften Chemie Allgemeines / Lexika
Technik
ISBN-10 0-470-68825-4 / 0470688254
ISBN-13 978-0-470-68825-0 / 9780470688250
Zustand Neuware
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