Human beings like to believe that they are in control of the world. They are right to do so. After all, there is no greater reason to believe in something that for that thing being believed in to be nothing short of an objective reality. No other species in the known history of the planet has been able to affect changes in its environment on the same scale that humanity has been able to. However, there are limits to that control. There are things in life that just do not lend themselves well to being manipulated by human hands. But humankind is stubborn to a fault, so it will bend the uncontrollable to its will. For the most part, the species is pretty successful at this. If they are not, then they find a workaround. Now, a lot of this discovery gets done by experimenting using pilot study equipment.
A pilot experiment is fairly similar to an actual experiment. The main difference is the scale on which is it is performed. While a pilot experiments will generally have hundreds or even thousands of test subjects, a pilot study will have a fairly small pool of subjects.
Its purpose is simple. To find the flaws in the methodology before a larger scale experiment is put into motion. This helps prevent any waste in terms of time and money.
The fact of the matter is that the equipment needed will vary based on the needs of the various experiments. Specialized lab gear might also be needed for the natural sciences. But for the most part, there will have to be computers to record and monitor data. Not to mention software to run those computers. The thing is that there really is no concrete guideline for what kind of tools should and should not be used. In fact, a study can be done with a pen and paper.
The single most important factor is and always will be the people. It is the scientists themselves who will be driving the experiment forward. The tools they are equipped with can be nothing more than a pen and paper. But a experiment can still get done even with just that.
A lot of basic equipment should not be all that hard to find. Anyone can walk into a big box store and buy a bunch of laptops and pens and pads of paper. But certain items like high powered telescopes capable of seeing light years away may prove to be much harder to come by than an average microscope.
The thing to be done in a pilot study is to be objective. To record and analyze data at a small pool of participants. In effect, it is a dry run for the much bigger show that is to take place later, if the pilot program proves to be successful.
Now, the main reasons that pilot experiments even happens is simple. Because everyone needs to practice. If a mistake is made at this phase, then it can be corrected. Athletes, after all, do not go to the big game without first logging in hundreds of hours of practice beforehand. They test out their strategies. A scientist is very similar in that regard.
The world is hard. But humanity is nothing if not innovative. So it found ways to make it easier.
A pilot experiment is fairly similar to an actual experiment. The main difference is the scale on which is it is performed. While a pilot experiments will generally have hundreds or even thousands of test subjects, a pilot study will have a fairly small pool of subjects.
Its purpose is simple. To find the flaws in the methodology before a larger scale experiment is put into motion. This helps prevent any waste in terms of time and money.
The fact of the matter is that the equipment needed will vary based on the needs of the various experiments. Specialized lab gear might also be needed for the natural sciences. But for the most part, there will have to be computers to record and monitor data. Not to mention software to run those computers. The thing is that there really is no concrete guideline for what kind of tools should and should not be used. In fact, a study can be done with a pen and paper.
The single most important factor is and always will be the people. It is the scientists themselves who will be driving the experiment forward. The tools they are equipped with can be nothing more than a pen and paper. But a experiment can still get done even with just that.
A lot of basic equipment should not be all that hard to find. Anyone can walk into a big box store and buy a bunch of laptops and pens and pads of paper. But certain items like high powered telescopes capable of seeing light years away may prove to be much harder to come by than an average microscope.
The thing to be done in a pilot study is to be objective. To record and analyze data at a small pool of participants. In effect, it is a dry run for the much bigger show that is to take place later, if the pilot program proves to be successful.
Now, the main reasons that pilot experiments even happens is simple. Because everyone needs to practice. If a mistake is made at this phase, then it can be corrected. Athletes, after all, do not go to the big game without first logging in hundreds of hours of practice beforehand. They test out their strategies. A scientist is very similar in that regard.
The world is hard. But humanity is nothing if not innovative. So it found ways to make it easier.
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