Experimental science in the context of Plus–minus sign

⭐ Core Definition: Experimental science

An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a particular factor is manipulated. Experiments vary greatly in goal and scale but always rely on repeatable procedure and logical analysis of the results. There also exist natural experimental studies.

A child may carry out basic experiments to understand how things fall to the ground, while teams of scientists may take years of systematic investigation to advance their understanding of a phenomenon. Experiments and other types of hands-on activities are very important to student learning in the science classroom. Experiments can raise test scores and help a student become more engaged and interested in the material they are learning, especially when used over time. Experiments can vary from personal and informal natural comparisons (e.g. tasting a range of chocolates to find a favorite), to highly controlled (e.g. tests requiring complex apparatus overseen by many scientists that hope to discover information about subatomic particles). Uses of experiments vary considerably between the natural and human sciences.

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👉 Experimental science in the context of Plus–minus sign

The plus–minus sign or plus-or-minus sign (±) and the complementary minus-or-plus sign (∓) are symbols with broadly similar multiple meanings.

In mathematics, the ± sign generally indicates a choice of exactly two possible values, one of which is obtained through addition and the other through subtraction. The ∓ is typically used only in tandem with the ± sign and indicates that in the case that the ± is a +, the ∓ would be a − (and vice-versa).
In statistics and experimental sciences, the ± sign commonly indicates the confidence interval or uncertainty bounding a range of possible errors in a measurement, often the standard deviation or standard error. The sign may also represent an inclusive range of values that a reading might have.
In chess, the ± sign indicates a clear advantage for the white player; the complementary minus-plus sign (∓) indicates a clear advantage for the black player.

Other meanings occur in other fields, including medicine, engineering, chemistry, electronics, linguistics, and philosophy.

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⭐ Core Definition: Experimental science
👉 Experimental science in the context of Plus–minus sign
Experimental science in the context of Merton Thesis
Experimental science in the context of Protestant culture

Experimental science in the context of Merton Thesis

The Merton thesis is an argument about the nature of early experimental science proposed by Robert K. Merton. Similar to Max Weber's famous claim on the link between Protestant work ethic and the capitalist economy, Merton argued for a similar positive correlation between the rise of Protestant Pietism and early experimental science. The Merton thesis has resulted in continuous debates.

Although scholars are still debating it, Merton's 1936 doctoral dissertation (and two years later his first monograph by the same title) Science, Technology and Society in 17th-Century England raised important issues on the connections between religion and the rise of modern science, became a significant work in the realm of the sociology of science and continues to be cited in new scholarship. Merton further developed this thesis in other publications.

View the full Wikipedia page for Merton Thesis

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Experimental science in the context of Protestant culture

Protestant culture refers to the cultural practices that have developed within Protestantism. Although the founding Protestant Reformation was a religious movement, it also had a strong impact on all other aspects of life: marriage and family, education, the humanities and sciences, the political and social order, the economy, and the arts.

Protestantism has promoted economic growth and entrepreneurship, especially in the period after the Scientific and the Industrial Revolution. Scholars have identified a positive correlation between the rise of Protestantism and human capital formation, work ethic, economic development, the rise of early experimental science, and the development of the state system.

View the full Wikipedia page for Protestant culture

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Experimental science in the context of Plus–minus sign

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⭐ Core Definition: Experimental science

👉 Experimental science in the context of Plus–minus sign

Experimental science in the context of Merton Thesis

Experimental science in the context of Protestant culture