That which is not measurable is not science. That which is not physics is stamp collecting.
Ernest RutherfordRead
If your experiment needs statistics, you ought to have done a better experiment.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Good experiments should be designed to yield clear, direct results without the need for complex statistics to interpret them.
This quote by Ernest Rutherford emphasizes the importance of experimental design in scientific research. It suggests that a well-conducted experiment should produce results that are straightforward and informative, rather than relying on statistical analysis to make sense of ambiguous or poorly designed data. Rutherford advocates for clarity and rigor in scientific inquiry, implying that the quality of the experiment itself is paramount to the reliability of the conclusions drawn from it.
Themes
ExperimentStatisticsScientific ResearchDataDesign
In practice
Example use cases
During a scientific conference, when discussing the importance of experimental design.
More from Ernest Rutherford
All quotes →The energy produced by the breaking down of the atom is a very poor kind of thing. Anyone who expects a source of power from the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine.
Ernest RutherfordRead
I am a great believer in the simplicity of things and as you probably know I am inclined to hang on to broad & simple ideas like grim death until evidence is too strong for my tenacity.
Ernest RutherfordRead
All science is either physics or stamp collecting.
Ernest RutherfordRead
Now I know what the atom looks like.
Ernest RutherfordRead
If your result needs a statistician then you should design a better experiment.
Ernest RutherfordRead
Similar quotes
It turns out your conscious mind - the part you think of as you - is really the smallest part of what’s happening in your brain, and usually the last one in line to find out any information.
David EaglemanRead
As a member of both the energy and environment committees, I am constantly astounded by how many of my colleagues prefer to focus on what the government can do for the nuclear or coal industries rather than why the government should support clean and sustainable energy.
Bernie SandersRead
If any remedy is tested under controlled scientific conditions and proved to be effective, it will cease to be alternative and will simply become medicine. So-called alternative medicine either hasn't been tested or it has failed its tests.
Richard DawkinsRead
I shall endeavour still further to prosecute this inquiry, an inquiry I trust not merely speculative, but of sufficient moment to inspire the pleasing hope of its becoming essentially beneficial to mankind.
Edward JennerRead
In today’s vastly expanded scientific enterprise, obsessed with impact factors and competition, we will need much more night science to unveil the many mysteries that remain about the workings of organisms.
Francois JacobRead
A strong feeling of adventure is animating those who are working on bacterial viruses, a feeling that they have a small part in the great drive towards a fundamental problem in biology.
Max DelbruckRead