The Systematic Experiment

This book explains how to plan, execute, analyse and write up an experiment. Experimentation is an essential part of science and engineering, being both the basis of discovery in science and an integral part of engineering development. The authors' aim is to provide instruction in how to perform a systematic experiment from its conception and design through to the communication of results. The text opens with an explanation of how to plan an experiment, moving on to a description of measurement techniques and statistical analysis of results. The book includes much that is new, and an important feature is the inclusion of a chapter on the interfacing of experimental equipment to microcomputers. This book will be useful to all students of the physical sciences but, particularly, because of the authors' backgrounds, to engineering students. In addition, it will be a valuable reference work for post-graduates and for chartered engineers working in industry.