Question: how many attempts does it usually to get an experiment right?

Andrew Quigley answered on 11 Nov 2015:

Well, it would depend on what type of experiment you’re doing. I would say that to get an experiment “half right” only takes a few attempts. To get the experiment “fully right” (to optimise it so you get the best possible result) takes much longer.

We can optimise experiments by changing how much of each chemical we use, how long we let the chemicals react, temperature also plays a role in most experiments. So we have to try and think of each factor that could possibly affect the experiment and find the best value for each factor (the right amount of chemicals, time, temperature, etc.)

So to fully optimise an experiment can take a couple of weeks to a month I’d say (depending on the type of experiment of course! 🙂 )