[The IRCM: a model of organization in the quest for scientific excellence. Interview by Robert Henry]

Chemistry is an empirical science. Scientists often pose questions to understand the chemistry in everyday life and seek answers to these questions. To achieve this, scientists follow a definitive series of steps that together make up the Scientific Method. This approach involves making observations, asking questions, building a hypothesis, conducting experiments, analyzing results, and forming a conclusion. 

The scientific method is a detailed, empirical problem-solving process used by biologists and other scientists. This iterative approach involves formulating a question based on observation, developing a testable potential explanation for the observation (called a hypothesis), making and testing predictions based on the hypothesis, and using the findings to create new hypotheses and predictions.
Generally, predictions are tested using carefully-designed experiments. Based on the outcome of these...

Research is what makes the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are observable realities, and opinions are personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate. In the scientific community, facts can be established only using evidence collected through empirical research.

Scientific Laws

In Microsoft Excel, plotting the mean along with standard deviation (SD) and standard error (SE) helps visualize data variability and reliability. To plot these values, follow these steps:
First, calculate the mean, SD, and SE of your data. The mean is obtained using the formula `=AVERAGE(range)`, while SD can be calculated with `=STDEV.P(range)` for a population or `=STDEV.S(range)` for a sample. SE is calculated as `=SD/SQRT(n)`, where `n` is the sample size.
To plot these values, use a bar...

Student's t-test in Microsoft Excel is a statistical method used to compare the means of two groups to determine if they are significantly different from each other. It's commonly used to evaluate hypotheses, such as testing whether a treatment has an effect compared to a control group. Excel provides built-in functions to perform t-tests, making it accessible for users needing to conduct basic statistical analysis.
To conduct a t-test in Excel, use the T.TEST function or the "Data...