Reference no: EM132401461

Suppose that Darwin followed the procedure below to grow the original parent plants for his study:

1) Collect seeds from a large number of wild mignonette plants in the neighborhood.

2) Combine all of the seeds together in a bin, mix thoroughly, and then plant them in the garden under similar light and soil conditions.

3) Divide the garden patch in half and flip a coin to decide which half is covered by a net, and which half is left uncovered and accessible by bees.

Is this an observational or experimental data set? Please explain your reasoning.

An observation dataset is what we just collect data based on what is shown and come out with a conclusion based on that data. An experimental dataset is the data we get by applying treatment to the sample group and collect data under the control of researchers. In this case, the data is experimental because Darwin actively changes the variable. He also sets up control group and experiment group to study the possible difference on their outcomes under different conditions.