Question

Experiment 1: A student tested to see if sunflower growth was affected by the hardness of the soil. She used control and experimental groups. She repeated her experiment several times, and each time found that the hardness of the soil did not affect the growth. Experiment 2: A student tested to see if the temperature of water affected the growth of cacti. She used control and experimental groups. Her data supported her hypothesis. Which experiment most likely has greater reliability, and why?

Answer 1

Experiment one, because she repeated the experiment several times.

Answer 2

Answer:

Experience 1 is the one that has the greatest reliability.

Explanation:

Because of this potential variation, biological experiments need to have a large sample size and preferably be repeated several times.  With more samples and repeating the experiment more often, the probability of arriving at a wrong conclusion due to random variation is diminished. As experience 1 has had several repetitions, it is the experience with a more reliable result.