Experiments in Computing: A Survey

Experiments play a central role in science. The role of experiments in computing is, however, unclear. Questions about the relevance of experiments in computing attracted little attention until the 1980s. As the discipline then saw a push towards experimental computer science, a variety of technical...

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Main Authors: Matti Tedre, Nella Moisseinen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2014-01-01
Series:The Scientific World Journal
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/549398
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author Matti Tedre
Nella Moisseinen
author_facet Matti Tedre
Nella Moisseinen
author_sort Matti Tedre
collection DOAJ
description Experiments play a central role in science. The role of experiments in computing is, however, unclear. Questions about the relevance of experiments in computing attracted little attention until the 1980s. As the discipline then saw a push towards experimental computer science, a variety of technically, theoretically, and empirically oriented views on experiments emerged. As a consequence of those debates, today's computing fields use experiments and experiment terminology in a variety of ways. This paper analyzes experimentation debates in computing. It presents five ways in which debaters have conceptualized experiments in computing: feasibility experiment, trial experiment, field experiment, comparison experiment, and controlled experiment. This paper has three aims: to clarify experiment terminology in computing; to contribute to disciplinary self-understanding of computing; and, due to computing’s centrality in other fields, to promote understanding of experiments in modern science in general.
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record_format Article
series The Scientific World Journal
spelling doaj-art-903dda7d4cd8467b835c4e163b1a2d9a2025-08-20T03:36:58ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal2356-61401537-744X2014-01-01201410.1155/2014/549398549398Experiments in Computing: A SurveyMatti Tedre0Nella Moisseinen1Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University, 16440 Kista, SwedenFaculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, FinlandExperiments play a central role in science. The role of experiments in computing is, however, unclear. Questions about the relevance of experiments in computing attracted little attention until the 1980s. As the discipline then saw a push towards experimental computer science, a variety of technically, theoretically, and empirically oriented views on experiments emerged. As a consequence of those debates, today's computing fields use experiments and experiment terminology in a variety of ways. This paper analyzes experimentation debates in computing. It presents five ways in which debaters have conceptualized experiments in computing: feasibility experiment, trial experiment, field experiment, comparison experiment, and controlled experiment. This paper has three aims: to clarify experiment terminology in computing; to contribute to disciplinary self-understanding of computing; and, due to computing’s centrality in other fields, to promote understanding of experiments in modern science in general.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/549398
spellingShingle Matti Tedre
Nella Moisseinen
Experiments in Computing: A Survey
The Scientific World Journal
title Experiments in Computing: A Survey
title_full Experiments in Computing: A Survey
title_fullStr Experiments in Computing: A Survey
title_full_unstemmed Experiments in Computing: A Survey
title_short Experiments in Computing: A Survey
title_sort experiments in computing a survey
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/549398
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