Why search (and cite) the literature of your field? Credibility: To be sure that your work is based on current, sound researchthe-- best in your field. Focus: To be able to place your work in context. Efficiency: To be sure that you're not duplicating work
Introduction A primary goal of your efforts in this course will be to gather empirical data so as to prove(or disprove) your hypothesis Typically the data that you gather will not directly satisfy this goal Rather, it will be necessary to \reduce\the data. to put it into an appropriate form, so that you can
TOPICS TO BE COVERED Why do error analysis? If we don't ever know the true value, how do we estimate the error in the true value? Error propagation in the measurement chain How do errors combine? (How do they behave in general?)
Elements of Designing an Experiment Goal is to assess your hypothesis The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing-[Tom Curran, AFRL] The design goal for your experiment is to achieve your objective and satisfy your success criteria. Your HOS are the touchstones for your experimental design
DEFINITION OF A HYPOTHESIS Hypothesis A tentative explanation that accounts for facts and can be tested by further investigation; a theory Something taken to be true for the purpose of argument or investigation; an assumption .Experiment test under controlled conditions that is made to demonstrate