Abstract
Experimentation is part of everyday life. Will leaving 30 minutes earlier than usual in the morning make it easier to find a legal parking space at work? How about 20 minutes earlier? Or only 10 minutes earlier? Can I increase my gas mileage by using synthetic oil? Will my problem employees make more of an effort to be on time if I make it a practice to stop by their office to chat at the start of the day? Will a chemical reaction be faster if the amount of a specific reagent is increased threefold? How about if the temperature is increased by 10 °C? Will the yield increase if an extraction is carried for 40 minutes instead of 20 minutes?
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Notes
- 1.
A factorial design consists of varying combinations of levels of factors . A full (or complete) factorial design consists of all combinations of levels of factors , whereas a fractional factorial design consists of a carefully chosen subset of combinations. In a one-factor-at-a-time experiment the levels of factors are varied, but only one factor at a time. In Chap. 9 we describe and compare these designs in detail.
- 2.
In addition to its contribution to the experimental design study, Fisher’s book “The Design of Experiments” (1st edition, 1935) introduces the concept of a null hypothesis – a general statement assumed to be true unless further evidence proves it otherwise.
- 3.
“Replication” is sometimes used erroneously as a synonym for “repetition .” Replicates are measurements made on different items/units/etc. performed under the same experimental conditions. On the other hand, repetitions are repeated measurements on the same item/unit/etc. at certain conditions.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Berger, P.D., Maurer, R.E., Celli, G.B. (2018). Introduction to Experimental Design. In: Experimental Design. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64583-4_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64583-4_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-64582-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-64583-4
eBook Packages: Mathematics and StatisticsMathematics and Statistics (R0)