Science

Why is it important to repeat an experiment?

To see if the results are consistent...

Sometimes things do something one time, but do something a different another time. If you just test something once and get an answer, you can't just assume that it is true.

For instance, say you're trying to create a cure for cancer. You have a serum that works and eliminates cancer except for people that are lactose intolerant. Well you wouldn't know that if you didn't keep testing. Also, if you only did one test and the person you tested it on was lactose intolerant, then you would assume that it doesn't work. That's why you keep testing things because you never know what results you find. You might test something 100 times, and the 101st time, something could change.

The ability to repeat an experiment is what validates the experiment.

Example: If you hit a cat with a hammer, will that cat blink?

If you say Yes that may not be true- suppose you use a very soft 3 stooges rubber hammer that is like petting the cat and you strike gently?

Or if you say No and use a 24 pound sledgehammer and beat on the cat like its an IRS agent or a Repo man after your car?

See the difference? You need to control all the variables, then see if it can be replicated- go look up Cold Fusion in France and see what they've accomplished

just in case you dun sumthin rong

reproducibility gives a scientist more confidence that their results is real and not an artifact.

to see if you get the same results consistantly because the first time it may have been by chance, or it may have really been due to something other than what you are testing for. Think of it this way: would you be happy taking medication that was only tested once or would you have more confidence in it if it had shown to give the desired results consistantly?

no, the answer is to acquire proof that what ever is using the scientific method can be repeated and get the same results means we have proof that that is right