Comments on: Statistics and chemists — like water and oil? http://www.thepowerofgoo.net/2008/04/27/statistics-and-chemists-like-water-and-oil/ exploring high-performance soot and other interesting polymers Fri, 16 May 2008 05:30:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: kayesdee http://www.thepowerofgoo.net/2008/04/27/statistics-and-chemists-like-water-and-oil/#comment-3410 kayesdee Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:56:24 +0000 http://www.thepowerofgoo.net/?p=50#comment-3410 <p>Egon, how do you digthrou data - software-wise? Just Excel? Text files? SPSS?</p> Egon, how do you digthrou data - software-wise? Just Excel? Text files? SPSS?

]]> By: Egon Willighagen http://www.thepowerofgoo.net/2008/04/27/statistics-and-chemists-like-water-and-oil/#comment-3409 Egon Willighagen Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:01:36 +0000 http://www.thepowerofgoo.net/?p=50#comment-3409 <p>I use statistics any time I want to make a quantitative statement on same chemical fact. Any chemist should do that! I'm sure the error bar if the outcome of a synthesis is 'oil' is not so important, but there are numerous applications in bench chemistry, I'd say.</p> <p>Going beyond that... statistics is a great tool to analyze a large pile of experimental results, where approaches can come up with new ideas, the experts never though of. But mind the 'garbage in, garbage out'... it the chemist produces inaccurate experimental facts, don't expect a computer to magically fix it.</p> I use statistics any time I want to make a quantitative statement on same chemical fact. Any chemist should do that! I’m sure the error bar if the outcome of a synthesis is ‘oil’ is not so important, but there are numerous applications in bench chemistry, I’d say.

Going beyond that… statistics is a great tool to analyze a large pile of experimental results, where approaches can come up with new ideas, the experts never though of. But mind the ‘garbage in, garbage out’… it the chemist produces inaccurate experimental facts, don’t expect a computer to magically fix it.

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