For the first question,
” Can experiments detect differences that matter?”
I think this is a significant question for determining if it is worth spending time and money on it. If a lot of money were to be put into a project it should be essential that it would make a big impact on the scientific community. If the experiment found that there are no differences that matter I do not think that it is a failed experiment though in some cases it may be discouraging. It could be good to know that two things are very similar, such as bacteria because then if treatment is found for one it may work for the other. This question is important to interpreting scientific literature because it allows the reader see what the outcome of the experiment was.
“Does the study show causation or correlation?”
This question is also significant because it allows the reader to determine if the experiment showed direct cause and effect between two things or if they are just coincidently related. This is important in discussing controversy because it shows whether or not an action can be harmful or beneficial or if it really has nothing to do with it.
“What is the mechanism?”
This question I don’t think is as important because people don’t often want to understand how something works, such as specific bio-chemical reactions that take place when medications take into effect, they want to know more of the effect itself.
“How much do experiments reflect reality?”
I think that this is an important question because if an experiment was strictly theoretical it would not be realistic to base anything off of it, especially if the reader was trying to learn about practical experiments. It may be cool to read about and see how things can be pushed if there were no boundaries, such as theoretical experiments pertaining to surfaces with no friction.
“Could anything else explain the results?”
This is an important question because just because one experiment leads to the results doesn’t mean it is the only one. There could always be better or more effective ways to end up with those results. I think that this is the most important question to ask because if there are many different ways to explain the results then more experiments should be done to find the best way.
