control experiment

American  

noun

1. an experiment in which the variables are controlled so that the effects of varying one factor at a time may be observed.

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control experiment British  

noun

1. an experiment designed to check or correct the results of another experiment by removing the variable or variables operating in that other experiment. The comparison obtained is an indication or measurement of the effect of the variables concerned

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Etymology

Origin of control experiment

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

He had been testing a photocatalyst when he removed it during a control experiment and discovered that the reaction worked just as well and sometimes even better without it.

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026

“It was an incredibly powerful control experiment for something that wasn’t really on many people’s radar at the time,” he says.

From Scientific American • Oct. 18, 2023

Despite their best efforts though, Delta and Reese were only 62.5% successful when they were exposed to very high noise pollution compared to 85% during the control experiment with ambient background noise.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2023

Instead, researchers proved the connection through a randomized control experiment, with the judges of Ireland their unwitting test subjects.

From Washington Post • Aug. 5, 2022

The undried jelly was next tried, and as a control experiment small cubes were left in water for four days and retained their angles.

From Insectivorous Plants by Darwin, Charles