Scientific control

Take identical growing plants (Argyroxiphium sandwicense) and give fertilizer to half of them. If there are differences between the fertilized treatment and the unfertilized treatment, these differences may be due to the fertilizer as long as there weren't other confounding factors that affected the result. For example, if the fertilizer was spread by a tractor but no tractor was used on the unfertilized treatment, then the effect of the tractor needs to be controlled.

A scientific control is an element of an experiment or observation designed to minimize the influence of variables other than the independent variable under investigation, thereby reducing the risk of confounding.

The use of controls increases the reliability and validity of results by providing a baseline for comparison between experimental measurements and control measurements. In many designs, the control group does not receive the experimental treatment, allowing researchers to isolate the effect of the independent variable.

Scientific controls are a fundamental part of the scientific method, particularly in fields such as biology, chemistry, medicine, and psychology, where complex systems are subject to multiple interacting variables.

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