experiment the meaning

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[ noun ik- sper - uh -m uh nt ; verb ek- sper - uh -ment ]

a chemical experiment; a teaching experiment; an experiment in living.

a product that is the result of long experiment.

Synonyms: investigation , research

• Obsolete. experience .

verb (used without object)

to experiment with a new procedure.

• a test or investigation, esp one planned to provide evidence for or against a hypothesis: a scientific experiment
• the act of conducting such an investigation or test; experimentation; research

a poetic experiment

• an obsolete word for experience
• intr to make an experiment or experiments

/ ĭk-spĕr ′ ə-mənt /

• A test or procedure carried out under controlled conditions to determine the validity of a hypothesis or make a discovery.
• See Note at hypothesis

Discover More

Derived forms.

• exˈperiˌmenter , noun

Other Words From

• ex·peri·menter ex·peri·mentor ex·peri·men·tator noun
• preex·peri·ment noun
• proex·peri·ment adjective
• reex·peri·ment verb (used without object) noun
• unex·peri·mented adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of experiment 1

Synonym Study

Example sentences.

IBM hopes that a platform like RoboRXN could dramatically speed up that process by predicting the recipes for compounds and automating experiments.

The hope there is for improved sensitivity in searches for dark matter or experiments that might reveal some long-sought flaws in our standard model of particle physics.

The experiment represents early progress toward the possible development of an ultra-secure communications network beamed from space.

The new experiment represents, however, the first time scientists have applied machine learning to “validation,” a further step toward confirming results that involves additional statistical calculation.

At first, the sites amounted to experiments on the outer edges of the crypto universe, but in 2020 they have started to attract real money.

To put it rather uncharitably, the USPHS practiced a major dental experiment on a city full of unconsenting subjects.

If the noble experiment of American democracy is to mean anything, it is fidelity to the principle of freedom.

A classroom experiment seeks to demonstrate what it looks like.

This video, courtesy of BuzzFeed, tries a bit of an experiment to get some answers.

In the fall of 1992, Booker became a vegetarian “as an experiment,” he said, “and I was surprised by how much my body took to it.”

With Bacon, experientia does not always mean observation; and may mean either experience or experiment.

I made the experiment two years ago, and all my experience since has corroborated the conclusion then arrived at.

But this is quite enough to justify the inconsiderable expense which the experiment I urge would involve.

He commenced to experiment in electro-pneumatics in the year 1860, and early in 1861 communicated his discoveries to Mr. Barker.

Readers will doubtless be familiar with the well-known experiment illustrating this point.

Related Words

• examination
• experimentation
• observation
• undertaking

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of experiment – Learner’s Dictionary

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• scientific experiments
• inhumane experiments on monkeys
• The table below shows the results of the experiment.
• Parallel experiments are being conducted in both countries .
• There is a growing debate on medical experiments.

experiment verb [I] ( TRY SOMETHING )

Experiment verb [i] ( do tests ).

• experimentation

(Definition of experiment from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Translations of experiment

Get a quick, free translation!

Word of the Day

to become dry, smaller, and covered with lines as if by crushing or folding, or to make something do this

Fakes and forgeries (Things that are not what they seem to be)

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• experiment (DO TESTS)
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• experiment (noun)
• experiment (verb)
• Students will carry out simple laboratory experiments .
• perform/conduct/do/run an experiment
• a failed experiment
• They did some experiments with magnets.
• a series of experiments on rats [=done to rats]
• These theories have not yet been confirmed by experiment .
• I'd like to paint the room a different color, just as an experiment . [=to see if it looks good or not]
• an experiment in living more frugally
• the city's experiment with a longer school year
• They experimented with magnets.
• researchers experimenting on rats
• an artist who's always experimenting [=trying new things]
• He's been experimenting with various materials.
• She experimented with different kinds of weaving.
• The school is experimenting with a longer school year.
• teenagers experimenting with drugs [=using illegal drugs to find out if they like them]

— experimentation

• scientific experimentation with/on rats
• artistic experimentation

— experimenter

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Look up a word, learn it forever.

/ɛkˈspirɪmɪnt/, /ɛkˈspɛrɪmənt/.

Other forms: experiments; experimenting; experimented

If you see your science-loving neighbor headed home with a power cord, a handful of test tubes, a stopwatch, and a bag of potatoes, there’s probably no need to be alarmed. There’s a good chance he’s only conducting an experiment , a scientific test conducted under controlled conditions.

To refer to a scientific test, use the noun experiment . If you want to describe the work done in conducting such a test, experiment will do the trick as well, since it can also act as a verb, as in "scientists experiment with helium." You can also use it more generally to describe trying a new method or idea. For example, you could experiment with a new hairstyle or different routes to get to school or work.

• noun the act of conducting a controlled test or investigation synonyms: experimentation see more see less types: show 4 types... hide 4 types... testing the act of subjecting to experimental test in order to determine how well something works trial and error experimenting until a solution is found Michelson-Morley experiment a celebrated experiment conducted by Albert Michelson and Edward Morley; their failure to detect any influence of the earth's motion on the velocity of light was the starting point for Einstein's theory of relativity control experiment an experiment designed to control for variables affecting the results of another experiment type of: research project , scientific research research into questions posed by scientific theories and hypotheses
• noun the testing of an idea “it was an experiment in living” synonyms: experimentation see more see less types: show 7 types... hide 7 types... pilot experiment a preliminary experiment whose outcome can lead to a more extensive experiment test , trial , trial run , tryout trying something to find out about it field test , field trial a test of the performance of some new product under the conditions in which it will be used alpha test (computer science) a first test of an experimental product (such as computer software) carried out by the developer beta test (computer science) a second test of an experimental product (such as computer software) carried out by an outside organization road test a test to insure that a vehicle is roadworthy trial balloon a test of public opinion type of: enquiry , inquiry , research a search for knowledge
• noun a venture at something new or different “as an experiment he decided to grow a beard” see more see less type of: venture any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
• verb conduct a test or investigation “We are experimenting with the new drug in order to fight this disease” synonyms: try out try something new, as in order to gain experience see more see less type of: investigate , look into investigate scientifically
• verb try something new, as in order to gain experience “The composer experimented with a new style” synonyms: try out

Vocabulary lists containing experiment

How can you perform well on the reading section of the SAT if you don’t fully understand the language being used in the directions and in the questions? Learn this list of 25 words that are based on our analysis of the words likely to appear in question stems, answer options, and test directions. Following our Roadmap to the SAT ? Head back to see what else you should be learning this week.

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ex·per·i·ment

Ex•per•i•ment.

If you have experience of something, you have seen it, done it, or felt it.

An experience is something that happens to you or something that you do.

You say that someone has an experience.

Be Careful! Don't say that someone ' makes an experience '.

Don't use 'experience' to refer to a scientific test that is carried out in order to discover or prove something. Use experiment .

You usually say that someone does , conducts , or carries out an experiment.

Be Careful! Don't say that someone ' makes an experiment '.

• A. A. Michelson
• Albert Abraham Michelson
• Albert Michelson
• Banting Frederick Grant
• Bernoulli trial
• between-subjects design
• binomial experiment
• by experimentation
• computational fluid dynamics
• confirmable
• control condition
• control experiment
• controllability
• controllable
• expenditure
• expense account
• Expense magazine
• expense record
• Expensefull
• Expenseless
• expensively
• expensiveness
• expergefacient
• expergefaction
• expergefactor
• experience table
• experienced
• experienceless
• experiencer
• experiential
• experientialism
• experientialist
• experiment station
• experimental
• experimental condition
• experimental extinction
• experimental method
• experimental procedure
• experimental psychology
• experimental variable
• experimentalism
• experimentalist
• experimentalize
• experimentally
• Experimentarian
• experimentation
• experimentative
• Experimentator
• experimenter
• experimenter bias
• experimenter effect
• experimentist
• experrection
• expert evidence
• expert opinion
• expert system
• Experiential and Service-Learning
• Experiential Astrology
• experiential aura
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• Experiential Learning Activity
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• Experiential Learning Design Team
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• Experiential Learning International
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• Experiential marketing
• Experiential Program for Preparing School Principals
• Experiential Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy
• Experiential Training and Development Alliance
• Experiential, Participatory, Image-rich and Connective
• experiential-existential group therapy
• Experientialism
• Experientialist
• experientially
• Expérientiel et Développement Personnel
• experiment (up)on (someone or something)
• Experiment and Development Flotilla
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• Experiment Computer
• Experiment Computer Input Output
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Experiment Definition in Science – What Is a Science Experiment?

In science, an experiment is simply a test of a hypothesis in the scientific method . It is a controlled examination of cause and effect. Here is a look at what a science experiment is (and is not), the key factors in an experiment, examples, and types of experiments.

Experiment Definition in Science

By definition, an experiment is a procedure that tests a hypothesis. A hypothesis, in turn, is a prediction of cause and effect or the predicted outcome of changing one factor of a situation. Both the hypothesis and experiment are components of the scientific method. The steps of the scientific method are:

• Make observations.
• Ask a question or identify a problem.
• State a hypothesis.
• Perform an experiment that tests the hypothesis.
• Based on the results of the experiment, either accept or reject the hypothesis.
• Draw conclusions and report the outcome of the experiment.

Key Parts of an Experiment

The two key parts of an experiment are the independent and dependent variables. The independent variable is the one factor that you control or change in an experiment. The dependent variable is the factor that you measure that responds to the independent variable. An experiment often includes other types of variables , but at its heart, it’s all about the relationship between the independent and dependent variable.

Examples of Experiments

Fertilizer and plant size.

For example, you think a certain fertilizer helps plants grow better. You’ve watched your plants grow and they seem to do better when they have the fertilizer compared to when they don’t. But, observations are only the beginning of science. So, you state a hypothesis: Adding fertilizer increases plant size. Note, you could have stated the hypothesis in different ways. Maybe you think the fertilizer increases plant mass or fruit production, for example. However you state the hypothesis, it includes both the independent and dependent variables. In this case, the independent variable is the presence or absence of fertilizer. The dependent variable is the response to the independent variable, which is the size of the plants.

Now that you have a hypothesis, the next step is designing an experiment that tests it. Experimental design is very important because the way you conduct an experiment influences its outcome. For example, if you use too small of an amount of fertilizer you may see no effect from the treatment. Or, if you dump an entire container of fertilizer on a plant you could kill it! So, recording the steps of the experiment help you judge the outcome of the experiment and aid others who come after you and examine your work. Other factors that might influence your results might include the species of plant and duration of the treatment. Record any conditions that might affect the outcome. Ideally, you want the only difference between your two groups of plants to be whether or not they receive fertilizer. Then, measure the height of the plants and see if there is a difference between the two groups.

Salt and Cookies

You don’t need a lab for an experiment. For example, consider a baking experiment. Let’s say you like the flavor of salt in your cookies, but you’re pretty sure the batch you made using extra salt fell a bit flat. If you double the amount of salt in a recipe, will it affect their size? Here, the independent variable is the amount of salt in the recipe and the dependent variable is cookie size.

Test this hypothesis with an experiment. Bake cookies using the normal recipe (your control group ) and bake some using twice the salt (the experimental group). Make sure it’s the exact same recipe. Bake the cookies at the same temperature and for the same time. Only change the amount of salt in the recipe. Then measure the height or diameter of the cookies and decide whether to accept or reject the hypothesis.

Examples of Things That Are Not Experiments

Based on the examples of experiments, you should see what is not an experiment:

• Making observations does not constitute an experiment. Initial observations often lead to an experiment, but are not a substitute for one.
• Making a model is not an experiment.
• Neither is making a poster.
• Just trying something to see what happens is not an experiment. You need a hypothesis or prediction about the outcome.
• Changing a lot of things at once isn’t an experiment. You only have one independent and one dependent variable. However, in an experiment, you might suspect the independent variable has an effect on a separate. So, you design a new experiment to test this.

Types of Experiments

There are three main types of experiments: controlled experiments, natural experiments, and field experiments,

• Controlled experiment : A controlled experiment compares two groups of samples that differ only in independent variable. For example, a drug trial compares the effect of a group taking a placebo (control group) against those getting the drug (the treatment group). Experiments in a lab or home generally are controlled experiments
• Natural experiment : Another name for a natural experiment is a quasi-experiment. In this type of experiment, the researcher does not directly control the independent variable, plus there may be other variables at play. Here, the goal is establishing a correlation between the independent and dependent variable. For example, in the formation of new elements a scientist hypothesizes that a certain collision between particles creates a new atom. But, other outcomes may be possible. Or, perhaps only decay products are observed that indicate the element, and not the new atom itself. Many fields of science rely on natural experiments, since controlled experiments aren’t always possible.
• Field experiment : While a controlled experiments takes place in a lab or other controlled setting, a field experiment occurs in a natural setting. Some phenomena cannot be readily studied in a lab or else the setting exerts an influence that affects the results. So, a field experiment may have higher validity. However, since the setting is not controlled, it is also subject to external factors and potential contamination. For example, if you study whether a certain plumage color affects bird mate selection, a field experiment in a natural environment eliminates the stressors of an artificial environment. Yet, other factors that could be controlled in a lab may influence results. For example, nutrition and health are controlled in a lab, but not in the field.
• Bailey, R.A. (2008). Design of Comparative Experiments . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521683579.
• di Francia, G. Toraldo (1981). The Investigation of the Physical World . Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-29925-X.
• Hinkelmann, Klaus; Kempthorne, Oscar (2008). Design and Analysis of Experiments. Volume I: Introduction to Experimental Design (2nd ed.). Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-72756-9.
• Holland, Paul W. (December 1986). “Statistics and Causal Inference”.  Journal of the American Statistical Association . 81 (396): 945–960. doi: 10.2307/2289064
• Stohr-Hunt, Patricia (1996). “An Analysis of Frequency of Hands-on Experience and Science Achievement”. Journal of Research in Science Teaching . 33 (1): 101–109. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2736(199601)33:1<101::AID-TEA6>3.0.CO;2-Z

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experiment noun

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What does the noun experiment mean?

There are 13 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun experiment , five of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

How common is the noun experiment ?

How is the noun experiment pronounced?

British english, u.s. english, where does the noun experiment come from.

Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known use of the noun experiment is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).

OED's earliest evidence for experiment is from before 1382, in Bible (Wycliffite, early version) .

experiment is of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin.

Etymons: French experiment ; Latin experīmentum .

Nearby entries

• experiencing, adj. 1697–
• experiency, n. 1556
• experient, adj. & n. ?1440–
• experiential, adj. 1658–
• experientialism, n. 1865–
• experientialist, n. 1866–
• experientially, adv. 1647–
• experiential philosopher, n. 1866–
• experiential philosophy, n. 1848–
• experiently, adv. 1473–1849
• experiment, n. a1382–
• experiment, v. 1481–
• experimental, adj. & n. c1449–
• experimental archaeology | experimental archeology, n. 1961–
• experimental farm, n. 1739–
• experimentalism, n. 1808–
• experimentalist, n. & adj. 1677–
• experimentalize, v. 1751–
• experimentalizer, n. 1831–
• experimentalizing, n. 1809–1929
• experimentally, adv. a1460–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for experiment, n..

experiment, n. was revised in March 2024.

experiment, n. was last modified in June 2024.

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Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into experiment, n. in June 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1894)

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Citation details

Factsheet for experiment, n., browse entry.

• 1.1 Etymology
• 1.2 Pronunciation
• 1.3.1 Derived terms
• 1.3.2 Translations
• 1.4.1 Derived terms
• 1.4.2 Translations
• 1.4.3 References
• 2.1 Etymology
• 2.2 Pronunciation
• 2.3.1 Derived terms
• 2.4 References
• 2.5 Further reading
• 3.1 Etymology
• 3.2 Pronunciation
• 3.3.1 Declension
• 3.3.2 Related terms
• 3.4 Further reading
• 4.1 Etymology
• 4.2 Pronunciation
• 4.3.1 Related terms
• 4.3.2 Descendants
• 5.1 Etymology
• 5.2.1 Related terms
• 6.1 Etymology
• 6.2.1 Declension
• 7.1 Etymology
• 7.2 Pronunciation
• 7.3.1 Declension
• 7.3.2 Related terms
• 7.4 References

From Middle English experiment , from Old French esperiment ( French expérience ), from Latin experimentum ( “ experience, attempt, experiment ” ) , from experior ( “ to experience, to attempt ” ) , itself from ex + *perior , in turn from Proto-Indo-European *per- .

Pronunciation

• ( UK ) IPA ( key ) : /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ɪ.mənt/ , /ɛkˈspɛɹ.ɪ.mənt/

• Hyphenation: ex‧per‧i‧ment

experiment ( plural experiments )

• 1837 , L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon ], “The Laboratory”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides.   [ … ] , volume II, London: Henry Colburn ,   [ … ] , →OCLC , page 327 : From her childhood she had been accustomed to watch, and often to aid, in her uncle's chemical experiments ; she was, therefore, not at a loss, as a complete novice in the science would have been.
• 1590 , Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene.   [ … ] , London: [ … ] [ John Wolfe ] for William Ponsonbie , →OCLC : Pilot [...] Vpon his card and compas firmes his eye, The maisters of his long experiment , And to them does the steddy helme apply [...].

Derived terms

• blue bottle experiment
• control experiment
• double-slit experiment
• experimental
• factorial experiment
• forbidden experiment
• ganzfeld experiment
• gedanken experiment
• Hughes-Drever experiment
• Michelson-Morley experiment
• Milgram experiment
• noble experiment
• science experiment
• sexperiment
• thought experiment
• Valsalvian experiment
• Wizard of Oz experiment

Translations

experiment ( third-person singular simple present experiments , present participle experimenting , simple past and past participle experimented )

• 1951 October, “Models Assist Rolling Stock Design”, in Railway Magazine , page 647 : As well as demonstrating operating facilities, full-size car body models are used for experimenting with new types of interior finish, systems of lighting, positioning of route diagrams and advertisements, and the best form of windscreens at doorways, and the height and location of handgrips and handrails.
• 1978 August 19, David Brill, “California Here I Come!”, in Gay Community News , volume 6, number 5, page 10 : Bob is a shameless tourist: Coit Tower, Fisherman's Wharf, Twin Peaks, ad infinitum. I think walking the streets with a map in hand looks dumb; experimenting is much more fun.
• 1662 Thomas Salusbury, Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (Dialogue 2): The Earth, the which may have carried us about perpetually ... without our being ever able to experiment its rest.
• 1481 , The Mirrour of the World , William Caxton, 1.5.22 : Til they had experimented whiche was trewe, and who knewe most.
• experimenter

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner , editors ( 1989 ), “experiment”, in The Oxford English Dictionary , 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press , →ISBN .

Borrowed from Latin experīmentum . First attested in 1460. [1]

• IPA ( key ) : ( Central ) [əks.pə.ɾiˈmen]
• IPA ( key ) : ( Balearic ) [əks.pə.ɾiˈment]
• IPA ( key ) : ( Valencia ) [eks.pe.ɾiˈment]

experiment   m ( plural experiments )

• experimentar
• ^ “ experiment ”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana , Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana , 2024

Further reading

• “experiment” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició , Institut d’Estudis Catalans .
• “experiment” in Diccionari normatiu valencià , Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua .
• “experiment” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear , Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Borrowed from Latin experīmentum .

• IPA ( key ) : [ˈɛkspɛrɪmɛnt]

experiment   m   inan

• experiment Synonym: pokus provést experiment ― to perform an experiment

Related terms

• experimentální
• experimentovat
• experiment in Příruční slovník jazyka českého , 1935–1957
• experiment in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého , 1960–1971, 1989
• experiment in Internetová jazyková příručka

From Middle Dutch experiment , from Old French experiment , from Latin experimentum .

• IPA ( key ) : /ˌɛks.peː.riˈmɛnt/

• Hyphenation: ex‧pe‧ri‧ment
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

experiment   n ( plural experimenten , diminutive experimentje   n )

• experiment Synonyms: proef , test
• experimentatie
• experimenteel
• experimenteren

Descendants

From Latin experīmentum .

experiment   m ( plural experiments )

Borrowed from Latin experimentum .

experiment   n ( plural experimente )

Borrowed from Latin experīmentum , attested from 1682. [1]

• IPA ( key ) : /ɛksp(ɛ)rɪˈmɛnt/

experiment   n

• experimentell
• ^ experiment in  Svensk ordbok .
• experiment in Svenska Akademiens ordlista ( SAOL )
• experiment in Svenska Akademiens ordbok ( SAOB )

• English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
• English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *per- (risk)
• English terms inherited from Middle English
• English terms derived from Middle English
• English terms derived from Old French
• English terms derived from Latin
• English 4-syllable words
• English terms with IPA pronunciation
• English terms with audio links
• English lemmas
• English nouns
• English countable nouns
• English terms with collocations
• English terms with quotations
• English terms with obsolete senses
• English verbs
• English intransitive verbs
• English terms with usage examples
• English transitive verbs
• Catalan terms borrowed from Latin
• Catalan terms derived from Latin
• Catalan terms with IPA pronunciation
• Catalan lemmas
• Catalan nouns
• Catalan countable nouns
• Catalan masculine nouns
• Czech terms borrowed from Latin
• Czech terms derived from Latin
• Czech terms with IPA pronunciation
• Czech lemmas
• Czech nouns
• Czech terms spelled with X
• Czech masculine nouns
• Czech inanimate nouns
• Czech terms with collocations
• Czech masculine inanimate nouns
• Czech hard masculine inanimate nouns
• Dutch terms inherited from Middle Dutch
• Dutch terms derived from Middle Dutch
• Dutch terms derived from Old French
• Dutch terms derived from Latin
• Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation
• Dutch terms with audio links
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experimental

Definition of experimental

• developmental

Examples of experimental in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'experimental.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle English, borrowed from Medieval Latin experīmentālis, from Latin experīmentum "testing, experience, proof" + -ālis -al entry 1 — more at experiment entry 1

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing experimental

• pre - experimental

Articles Related to experimental

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This is the Difference Between a Hypothesis and a Theory

In scientific reasoning, they're two completely different things

Dictionary Entries Near experimental

experimental design

Cite this Entry

“Experimental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/experimental. Accessed 20 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of experimental, medical definition, medical definition of experimental, more from merriam-webster on experimental.

Nglish: Translation of experimental for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of experimental for Arabic Speakers

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What Is an Experiment? Definition and Design

The Basics of an Experiment

• Chemical Laws
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• Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
• B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College

Science is concerned with experiments and experimentation, but do you know what exactly an experiment is? Here's a look at what an experiment is... and isn't!

Key Takeaways: Experiments

• An experiment is a procedure designed to test a hypothesis as part of the scientific method.
• The two key variables in any experiment are the independent and dependent variables. The independent variable is controlled or changed to test its effects on the dependent variable.
• Three key types of experiments are controlled experiments, field experiments, and natural experiments.

What Is an Experiment? The Short Answer

In its simplest form, an experiment is simply the test of a hypothesis . A hypothesis, in turn, is a proposed relationship or explanation of phenomena.

Experiment Basics

The experiment is the foundation of the scientific method , which is a systematic means of exploring the world around you. Although some experiments take place in laboratories, you could perform an experiment anywhere, at any time.

Take a look at the steps of the scientific method:

• Make observations.
• Formulate a hypothesis.
• Design and conduct an experiment to test the hypothesis.
• Evaluate the results of the experiment.
• Accept or reject the hypothesis.
• If necessary, make and test a new hypothesis.

Types of Experiments

• Natural Experiments : A natural experiment also is called a quasi-experiment. A natural experiment involves making a prediction or forming a hypothesis and then gathering data by observing a system. The variables are not controlled in a natural experiment.
• Controlled Experiments : Lab experiments are controlled experiments , although you can perform a controlled experiment outside of a lab setting! In a controlled experiment, you compare an experimental group with a control group. Ideally, these two groups are identical except for one variable , the independent variable .
• Field Experiments : A field experiment may be either a natural experiment or a controlled experiment. It takes place in a real-world setting, rather than under lab conditions. For example, an experiment involving an animal in its natural habitat would be a field experiment.

Variables in an Experiment

Simply put, a variable is anything you can change or control in an experiment. Common examples of variables include temperature, duration of the experiment, composition of a material, amount of light, etc. There are three kinds of variables in an experiment: controlled variables, independent variables and dependent variables .

Controlled variables , sometimes called constant variables are variables that are kept constant or unchanging. For example, if you are doing an experiment measuring the fizz released from different types of soda, you might control the size of the container so that all brands of soda would be in 12-oz cans. If you are performing an experiment on the effect of spraying plants with different chemicals, you would try to maintain the same pressure and maybe the same volume when spraying your plants.

The independent variable is the one factor that you are changing. It is one factor because usually in an experiment you try to change one thing at a time. This makes measurements and interpretation of the data much easier. If you are trying to determine whether heating water allows you to dissolve more sugar in the water then your independent variable is the temperature of the water. This is the variable you are purposely controlling.

The dependent variable is the variable you observe, to see whether it is affected by your independent variable. In the example where you are heating water to see if this affects the amount of sugar you can dissolve , the mass or volume of sugar (whichever you choose to measure) would be your dependent variable.

Examples of Things That Are Not Experiments

• Making a model volcano.
• Making a poster.
• Changing a lot of factors at once, so you can't truly test the effect of the dependent variable.
• Trying something, just to see what happens. On the other hand, making observations or trying something, after making a prediction about what you expect will happen, is a type of experiment.
• Bailey, R.A. (2008). Design of Comparative Experiments . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521683579.
• Beveridge, William I. B., The Art of Scientific Investigation . Heinemann, Melbourne, Australia, 1950.
• di Francia, G. Toraldo (1981). The Investigation of the Physical World . Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-29925-X.
• Hinkelmann, Klaus and Kempthorne, Oscar (2008). Design and Analysis of Experiments, Volume I: Introduction to Experimental Design (Second ed.). Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-72756-9.
• Shadish, William R.; Cook, Thomas D.; Campbell, Donald T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference (Nachdr. ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-61556-9.
• Examples of Independent and Dependent Variables
• Difference Between Independent and Dependent Variables
• Null Hypothesis Examples
• Six Steps of the Scientific Method
• How To Design a Science Fair Experiment
• Independent Variable Definition and Examples
• Scientific Method Vocabulary Terms
• Understanding Simple vs Controlled Experiments
• Understanding Experimental Groups
• The Difference Between Control Group and Experimental Group
• Scientific Method Flow Chart
• Dependent Variable Definition and Examples
• Scientific Variable
• What Is a Controlled Experiment?
• What Are the Elements of a Good Hypothesis?

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Definition of experiment verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• After experimenting at Columbia University, he realized that fission was the key to releasing nuclear energy.
• experiment on somebody/something Some people feel that experimenting on animals is wrong.
• They experimented successfully on the plants to discover disease-resistant varieties.
• experiment with something The country had secretly experimented with biological weapons for years.
• successfully
• continue to

Want to learn more?

Find out which words work together and produce more natural-sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.

experiment (n.)

mid-14c., "action of observing or testing; an observation, test, or trial;" also "piece of evidence or empirical proof; feat of magic or sorcery," from Old French esperment "practical knowledge, cunning; enchantment, magic spell; trial, proof, example; lesson, sign, indication," from Latin experimentum "a trial, test, proof, experiment," noun of action from experiri "to try, test," from ex "out of" (see ex- ) + peritus "experienced, tested," from PIE *per-yo- , suffixed form of root *per- (3) "to try, risk."

experiment (v.)

"make trial, operate (on something) so as to discover some unknown fact or to establish it when known," late 15c., from experiment (n.). Intransitive sense by 1787. Related: Experimented ; experimenting .

Entries linking to experiment

mid 15c., "having experience," from experiment (n.) + -al (1). Meaning "based on experiment" is from 1560s. Meaning "for the sake of experiment" is from 1792.

"the act or practice of making experiments, the process of experimenting," 1670s, noun of action from experiment (v.).

• See all related words ( 4 ) >

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Experiment: Does Instagram Care If You Edit Your Reels with CapCut?

Wondering if third-party editing tools are ruining your Instagram reach? We were curious, too, so we put on our lab coats and went to work.

Table of Contents

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with Instagram’s video editing tools. There’s the green screen effect, you can add text and filters, and the music library is overflowing with Taylor Swift songs.

But sometimes, only a third-party editing app will get the job done. The question is: if you edit your Reels outside of the Instagram app, will your reach and engagement suffer for it?

Here on the Hootsuite Blog, there’s only one way to find out. That’s right, we’re putting our Reels to a real test.

Bonus: Download the free 10-Day Reels Challenge , a daily workbook of creative prompts that will help you get started with Instagram Reels, track your growth, and see results across your entire Instagram profile.

Instagram doesn’t care if you use third-party tools to edit your Reels

If you’ve played around with CapCut or other video-editing apps , you might’ve found a tool that works better for your personal creative process or a unique filter that you’re obsessed with.

As someone who struggles with Reel creation in the Instagram app, I’m happy there are other video-editing solutions that don’t make me say, “Why can’t I do this? Is something wrong with my thumbs?!” (I’m a digital elder at this point, OK?! I lived through Nexopia; show some respect!)

And according to Instagram, it doesn’t matter where you make your video as long as it doesn’t feature a watermark . Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri has even said that Reels will not be downranked if they’re made in third-party apps like CapCut.

Image via Reddit

But there are folks out there who believe that dabbling in third-party video editing apps will hurt your content more than it helps .

Skeptical social media managers and creators have reported decreased reach, fewer likes, and fewer followers — a shadowban , in other words — and decided the culprit is the editing software.

Hootsuite’s own social experts don’t use the Instagram app to edit their videos, so they don’t have any in-app posts to compare performance to. But social marketing specialist Eileen Kwok believes it’s likely that your editing tool would have an impact on a post’s performance.

“At the end of the day, all social apps want you to spend as long as possible on their network,” she says. “Platforms are aware that users often cross-post. Since TikTok and Instagram are competitors, it makes sense that their algorithms might favor videos that have been filmed or edited with their tools.”

Anecdotes and gut feelings, though, are not how we solve a mystery around these parts. Away to the feed we go!

Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.

Methodology

The plan for this big experiment was pretty simple: make some Reels using Instagram, make some Reels using CapCut, and see which ones perform best.

The trick would be to create videos with similar content to make sure we were comparing apples to apples for this experiment.

Unfortunately, my own personal feed is a chaotic mix of career brags, blurry karaoke videos, pics of my toddler and comedy show posters—not exactly consistent fodder for social media science.

So I turned to someone with a fanatic following and a near-obsessive commitment to one topic for help: my husband, who runs a pro-wrestling promotion .

I asked him for six wrestling videos and a peek behind the scenes at his Instagram analytics , and he obliged. (Now, this is what marriage is all about.)

He edited three using Instagram’s in-app tools (below)…

and three with CapCut (below)…

then posted each to the Boom Pro Wrestling Instagram account at the same time each day.

Then, we sat back to see which body-slam vids brought the most heat.

Sorry, social media conspiracy theorists: Reels edited with CapCut didn’t see reduced reach.

In fact, the CapCut videos did far better than content edited directly in Instagram.

Though normally we would use the beautiful scheduling power of Hootsuite to post our social content, to truly test the in-app versus not-in-app question, I decided we needed to upload them all natively through Insta for pure data.

Tragically, that means we couldn’t pull analytics from the very good Hootsuite Analytics dashboard and had to use Instagram Insights instead. (But hey, sometimes social media science requires sacrifices.)

I added up the reach and Reel interactions (likes, shares, comments) from each video to show the performance of Reels edited in CapCut compared to Reels edited in Instagram.

As you can see, the CapCut-edited videos did just fine .

While average interactions were about the same for both types of posts, CapCut-edited videos saw almost twice as much reach .

Obviously, this is a small sample size, but the results are dramatic enough to make me say that if CapCut and the Instagram app were in a wrestling match, CapCut would have easily pinned its opponent.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by BOOM! PRO WRESTLING (@boom_pro_wrestling)

We can conclude, then, that Instagram-edited posts don’t get a boost in the algorithm.

That means you’re free to get out there and mix things up (or “find a new tag-team partner,” if you’d like to continue with the wrestling metaphor).

What do the results mean?

There are a couple of lessons to learn from this grand, wrestling-themed social media experiment.

Your editing tools aren’t to blame

The big takeaway here is that your editing tools are not necessarily to blame for your post’s bad performance. You don’t have to stick with Instagram’s Reel creation features if they don’t work for you.

Here are six Instagram Reels editing apps to experiment with. Go wild!

Great content conquers all

It’s not a fun ‘hack,’ I know, but the best way to achieve reach is ultimately to create great content .

The Boom Wrestling posts were all fun, lively, dynamic and engaging, so they all did well no matter what tool was used for editing.

Quality posts will get a boost from the algorithm , and if a tool like CapCut can help you make the best Reel possible, then don’t fear it.

Bonus! Tips for creating better Instagram Reels

If it’s not a shadowban holding you back, I’m sorry to say, it might just be your content.

But don’t stress! That’s a very fixable problem to have, because we’ve got all the hot tips and tricks you need to create better Instagram Reels.

Make your content look good

Visually appealing videos are going to do better than ho-hum ones — so bring the pizazz.

Shoot vertically and keep things high-res if possible. Take advantage of editing features and filters to make your content pop.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pepino’s (@pepinosspaghettihouse)

Check out these tips for making short-form videos that wow.

Study your stats

Analytics are your not-so-secret tool for pleasing your audience.

Dig into your Instagram metrics and you’ll see exactly what kind of content your followers like (or despise).

Head to Analytics on your Hootsuite dashboard for a robust breakdown of performance stats, like Plays, Likes, Comments, Reach, Engagement Rate and more.

Beautiful reports. Clear data. Actionable insights to help you grow faster.

Put people in your Instagram Reels

We did a little experiment (do we ever sleep?!) that revealed Reels featuring people tend to perform far better than those without.

And if people like a video, then the algorithm is going to like it, too.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by EXHIBIT collectors + creatives (@exhibitoptical)

As fun as animation or product shots can be, get some faces in there to really see your reach take off.

Add trending music

The right song can take your already great video to the top.

The algorithm tends to give trending sound clips a boost, so if you find a popular tune that would make the right soundtrack for your vid, slap it on there for optimal reach.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by LYDIA OKELLO (@styleisstyle)

Fashion account @styleisstyle shared her casual-cool outfit to the tune of a popular Strawberry Guy tune… along with 226K other Instagrammers.

Offer value

Looking and sounding good are just part of the equation for a smash-hit Reel. You need to offer something of value to your viewers, too.

Is it something educational, something entertaining, or something inspiring? Are you going to delight them with humor, give them exclusive access or provoke them with the promise of a surprise twist?

Self-promotional material gets old fast. Great Reels leave followers feeling like they got something out of the interaction… like a front-row seat to the most dramatic twist in Boom Pro Wrestling history.

Post at the right time

Even if you’ve created the most beautiful Reel in history, if you post it when your followers are all fast asleep, your Reach and Engagement is going to be less than great.

Schedule your Reels ahead of time with Hootsuite to get your content out there when it can make the biggest impact.

Plus, Hootsuite’s scheduling tool will even suggest the best times to post. That means less time spent calculating, more filming hilarious behind-the-scenes videos with your coworkers.

That’s it for this time! But if this experiment has you hankering for even more social media exploration, check out the rest of our  Hootsuite Experiments here.

Start building your Instagram presence using Hootsuite. Schedule and publish posts directly to Instagram, engage your audience, measure performance, and run all your other social media profiles — all from one simple dashboard. Try it free today.

Save time and stress less with easy Reels scheduling and performance monitoring from Hootsuite. Trust us, it’s reely easy.

Become a better social marketer.

Get expert social media advice delivered straight to your inbox.

Stacey McLachlan is an award-winning writer and editor from Vancouver with more than a decade of experience working for print and digital publications.

She is editor-at-large for Western Living and Vancouver Magazine, author of the National Magazine Award-nominated 'City Informer' column, and a regular contributor to Dwell. Her previous work covers a wide range of topics, from SEO-focused thought-leadership to profiles of mushroom foragers, but her specialties include design, people, social media strategy, and humor.

You can usually find her at the beach, or cleaning sand out of her bag.

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Abortion United Evangelicals and Republicans. Now That Alliance Is Fraying.

The southern baptist convention, long a bellwether for american evangelicalism, voted to oppose the use of in vitro fertilization..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Sabrina Tavernise. And this is “The Daily.”

The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the country, voted at its annual gathering last week to condemn IVF fertility treatments. Today, my colleague Ruth Graham on the story behind the vote the Republicans scrambled and prompted, and what it could eventually mean for the rest of the country.

It’s Monday, June 17.

So, Ruth, you write about religion for “The Times” and you were covering the big annual meeting of Southern baptists last week. And they made a pretty big decision. Tell us about it.

The Southern Baptist Convention, it’s the biggest Protestant denomination in the United States. They have almost 13 million members, more than 45,000 churches. It’s a huge group.

And Southern Baptists know their political power. And they are basically a barometer of evangelical sentiment in the US. You know, what they say kind of indicates what the typical evangelical cares about in any given moment. And fun for reporters, they all meet once a year in this giant gathering that any church can send delegates to. The delegates are called messengers.

So this year that meeting was in Indianapolis. There were almost 11,000 messengers there in the convention center. And one of the important political topics they took on this year was something they have never discussed as a full body before, and that’s the ethics of in-vitro fertilization.

OK. So this very important conference of Southern Baptists takes up IVF. In other words, the medical procedure that allows people to get pregnant through fertilization in a lab. So what do they say?

So a lot of Southern Baptists historically have not taken issue with IVF per se at all. They view it as a technology used to create life. You know, it’s used by families who desperately want to be parents, and they view that as a positive thing.

But the procedure does involve, typically, the production of more embryos than will be used by the couple that created them. And those embryos end up sometimes discarded, sometimes frozen indefinitely, sometimes donated, but not used in the way that they were originally created to be used. So some Southern Baptists do take issue with discarding those excess embryos. And the reason is they say life begins at conception.

This is sort of a core anti-abortion belief. The moment that the sperm meets the egg, that is the stuff of life. There’s a verse in Psalms, “You created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

And you’ll hear that cited in Christian anti-abortion spaces a lot as evidence that God cares about and views as fully human human beings at the very moment of conception. And that would include these frozen embryos.

Right. If you truly believe that life begins at conception, you probably would not agree to abortion at any stage of gestation. And that same logic would apply to IVF. So when this issue gets raised at the conference, what happens? What are people saying?

So there’s a resolution that comes to the floor. Resolutions in Southern Baptist language are nonbinding. This would not be a ban. It’s just a statement of concern that’s meant to summarize Southern Baptist opinion on this particular topic.

So the language that’s proposed calls on Southern Baptists to reaffirm the value of human life. And then it narrows in on human life in an embryonic stage. And it urges them to just use reproductive technologies, fertility treatments that are consistent with that view of human life.

What does that mean?

They’re actually walking a pretty fine line here. They stopped short of saying that a Southern Baptist should never use IVF under any circumstances. They’re calling attention to these excess embryos and saying that, you know, Baptists really should only use reproductive technology with attention to life at this embryonic stage. And the resolution also goes so far as to ask Baptists to call on their governments to restrain these kind of technologies that violate the dignity of, as they put it, quote, “frozen embryonic human beings.”

Hm. So they’re also actually asking people to pressure their governments to respect this position, basically?

That’s right. It’s light on specifics, but that’s the suggestion.

But Ruth, why did they decide to raise this issue now? I mean, IVF obviously has been around for a long time,

Right. So back in February, there was a case that reached the Alabama Supreme Court that had started when a group of families in the state filed this wrongful death claim over a mistake at a fertility clinic where their frozen embryos were accidentally destroyed. They sue, and the state Supreme Court ends up ruling not only in their favor, but says really clearly that frozen embryos should be considered children. So the Chief Justice writes, “Even before birth, all human beings have the image of God and their lives cannot be destroyed without effacing His glory.”

So really putting out this religious argument for human life in embryonic form. So that case lands like a bomb.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

The stunning decision from Alabama’s Supreme Court has enormous and immediate consequences for fertility care.

And it really caught a lot of people off guard. You know, all along the spectrum.

A third fertility clinic in Alabama has shut down after the state Supreme Court ruled embryos are children.

The court offered no clear roadmap for what is and isn’t legal.

And it just places this question about the ethics and the legal aspects and all of this, it just puts IVF into the national conversation.

We’re concerned that with the new ruling, we may have to limit fertilization of eggs, which will limit success of treatment, limit efficiency, increase cost, and of course, risk to patients.

It’s a stressful process already. And I don’t need the added stress, and no woman does, of whether or not this might be moral to go through to have children when this is my only path.

And there’s this really strong backlash to the idea that embryos should be protected with the force of the law as full human beings. Because IVF is broadly popular, including among many Republican voters.

Alabama House of Representatives and the Senate have passed a law that restores access to in vitro fertilization. Doctors at clinics have told ABC News the new language will give them enough reassurance to resume IVF without facing legal risks.

Ultimately, the state legislature, the Republican governor work really quickly to reinstate it in the state. But it opens up this new conversation among conservative evangelicals who are broadly anti-abortion. And they’re starting to think should we think about this IVF conversation in the same way that we’ve thought about abortion? Should we be pushing on this more?

So most of the country takes the lesson from the Alabama case that IVF is not something to be interfered with. But for some in the evangelical community, they take the opposite lesson, it sounds like.

That’s right. For some evangelicals, this feels like the perfect moment to bring IVF into the abortion conversation and start to turn the tide against it. One of these people is an ethicist in Kentucky. His name is Andrew Walker. He works at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. It’s a major Southern Baptist seminary in Louisville.

And he’s been wanting to bring IVF into sort of the mainstream Southern Baptist consciousness for a while. He first started writing about it about five years ago. He actually published an essay in a sort of mainstream evangelical publication about it, got a lot of pushback, never felt it was the right moment to bring a resolution to the meeting, but he’s had this tucked in the back of his mind because he has this pretty clear conviction that IVF does not comport with Christian anti-abortion values.

So when the Alabama ruling happens, and the backlash, and the broader conversation, Andrew Walker thinks, you know, this is the moment. So he calls his friend and mentor, Dr. Al Mohler, who’s the president of the seminary where they both work. And he says, let’s do it.

Let’s start crafting a resolution for the meeting this year. And we’ll see if it gets forward. We’ll see if it gets discussed. We’ll see if it gets approved. But we’ve got to strike while the iron is hot here.

And did Baptists like Walker understand that a resolution like this would have potentially quite bad implications for mainstream Republican politicians? Like, wasn’t that the lesson of Alabama?

Yes. And I talked with both Dr. Walker and Dr. Mohler about this. And they both said they were completely aware of that. They didn’t love it, but they both felt that that was not their highest priority. That was not their highest responsibility.

And if anything, Dr. Mohler said this in particular, he wanted to nudge Republicans on the issue. He actually said he wanted to do more than nudge Republicans. He wanted to call them out. And so this would be a really high profile way to show to Republicans, look, we’ve got thousands of mainstream Southern Baptists in a room here who are all expressing collective alarm and opposition to IVF as it’s commonly practiced.

OK. So Baptist leaders nevertheless put this proposal to a vote on the floor. Tell us about how that went, when they put this proposal in front of thousands of other evangelicals.

It was really dramatic.

[CHRISTIAN CHORAL MUSIC]

We’re in this cavernous convention hall where, over the course of the last few days, there’s been singing of hymns. People have heard sermons. There’s been prayers. They’ve sent missionaries out. They’ve been sort of together in the work of making their convention what they want it to be.

Microphone 3A, would you give us your name, your church, and proceed with your discussion?

Yes. Daniel Taylor, messenger —

And then there’s this incredibly dramatic discussion and debate about the ethics of something so personal.

Thank you, Mr President. I rise to speak in favor of this amendment, out of both a heart for the unborn and for those stricken with infertility.

Anyone is allowed to come to the microphone under Southern Baptist rules. And you had two men come to the microphone to share really personal stories —

From my friends, the initial steps of IVF yielded six viable embryos. Four of the embryos were implanted and two were frozen for a time. Only one survived to term, their son and my godson. Because of him, I thank God for IVF.

One has a godson born via IVF.

I have a son because of IVF. I have another son 20 weeks old in my wife’s womb because of IVF.

The other has one child and his wife pregnant with a second via IVF.

I am for the sanctity of life and for the sanctity of embryos. I am against the idea that this technology is so wicked that it cannot be employed.

And both spoke about just loving these children and seeing the technology as a blessing from God.

I thank the authors of the resolution and the committee for the opportunity for the SBC to be a voice of biblical truth and clarity in this pressing cultural issue.

A woman came to the microphone, sort of on the other side.

In addition to my living children, I am the mother of four babies that I never got to hold. Two of those babies we adopted as embryos. Nothing in the process of IVF upholds the sanctity of life. There is no way to describe the treatment of embryos at any point in the IVF process as ethical or dignified.

To share that she had participated in embryo adoption, meaning that she had another family’s embryos implanted in her womb to try to bring those pregnancies to fruition. And in this case, she miscarried both times. But she had done that out of a sense of really moral obligation to these embryos as human life.

And it was quiet. I mean, people are really listening to these really personal stories and wrestling with them. This is personal for a lot of people in that room. But at the end of all this, it’s time to vote on the resolution.

So in the end, the language has been really carefully crafted to kind of bring Southern Baptists along on this argument. So it affirms that God loves all children, no matter the circumstances of their conception. It expresses empathy for couples trying to conceive. It says it’s a good and positive thing to want to have children, to expand your family.

And then it arrives at this point of saying that IVF, as it’s commonly practiced, is not an ethical option for Southern Baptists in most circumstances. So this resolution comes to a vote, to the thousands of people in that room. They’re all sitting in folding chairs. They raise their little orange ballots in favor or against. And the resolution passes overwhelmingly.

So this resolution ultimately passes. But how important is it really if it’s just an expression of sentiment, it’s not actually a directive to do something?

It’s hugely significant. This is the first major public statement that this group of influential evangelicals, frankly, influential Republican voters have made on this issue. And it really sets them up on a collision course with mainstream Republicans.

We’ll be right back.

So Ruth, you said that this vote really sets evangelicals on a collision course with mainstream Republicans. What did that look like?

So mainstream Republicans, in the wake of the Alabama ruling, have really circled the wagons to try to show that they are not only totally comfortable with IVF, but are going to go to great lengths to preserve it. And they see it as pro-family. They know that’s how most of their constituents view it. They want to really show that they see that as totally separate from the conversation about abortion and that they are going to be the ones to preserve access to IVF. And so on the very same day this happened in Indianapolis, in Washington —

I want to yield to the senator from Alabama, Senator Britt.

Thank you so much.

— Senator Katie Britt of Alabama, she’s an evangelical Christian, she gets up on the floor of the Senate and gives this impassioned speech supporting IVF.

I was proud to join my colleague from Texas in introducing The IVF Protection Act. I am —

She, with Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, has put forward this bill that they say is intended to protect IVF access by blocking Medicaid funding to states that ban it outright. Democrats say that actually would not have done anything to fix the problem. And there are these kind of jockeying bills. But still, she gets up on the Senate floor —

Look, as a mom, I know firsthand that there’s no greater joy in this life than that of being a mother. IVF helps aspiring parents —

— and speaks, as a mom, as she puts it, in defense of IVF.

IVF access is fundamentally pro-family.

She’s wearing this really prominent cross necklace. And she talks about how supporting IVF is pro-family, that that’s the pro-family point of view.

We all have loved ones, whether they’re family members or friends, who have become parents or grandparents through IVF.

And she puts out a statement the same day, with Senator Cruz, and it’s signed by all of her Republican colleagues, including Josh Hawley, Marsha Blackburn, every conservative across the spectrum in the Senate signs on to this support for IVF.

So even the most conservative Republicans in Congress are coming out with this position that’s really at odds with evangelicals.

That’s right. IVF is hugely popular. Fertility treatments are widely used, including by evangelicals. Most people don’t even think negatively about this stuff, let alone want to ban it. So it’s a real dilemma for Republicans to watch evangelicals potentially turn in this direction.

So there’s pressure from the Southern Baptist Convention on mainstream Republicans, which I have to imagine is making Democrats pretty happy. I mean, I saw President Biden out there with a fundraising email the day that the Southern Baptists voted.

That’s right. I mean, Democrats are really leaning into reproductive rights right now. They’re putting abortion measures on ballots in November. They know that’s going to attract their voters. It’s going to attract independents.

They’re pointing out these restrictions. They’re talking about this stuff. And the vote last week from the Southern Baptists is another suggestion that there’s this movement out there that doesn’t just want to regulate at 15 weeks, not just at 12 weeks, not just at 6 weeks, but, you know, all the way down to the embryo in the lab. So I think Democrats see an opportunity here to exploit this growing divide between evangelicals and Republicans, at least on this issue.

And this is all going to be all the more salient ahead of a very important presidential election. I mean, we’re really hurtling down the tracks toward a big decision point for people.

Yeah, that’s exactly right. The Republican Party and American evangelicals have been in lockstep really since the 1970s. And now for Republicans, there’s this question about whether or not it’s still politically advantageous for them to follow where the anti-abortion movement is going on this stuff, because they’re pushing into places that are really deeply unpopular among the American population overall.

And the anti-abortion movement itself at this point is pretty divided on where it’s going to go next. So we saw the Supreme Court last week on Thursday, they maintained access to the abortion pill. There were divisions even within the anti-abortion movement over whether or not to bring that case forward. Some within that movement were skeptical of it. So you’re seeing sort of confusion and disagreement even internally on where to go after the overturning of “Roe v. Wade.”

Ruth, what about the broader population of evangelical Christians? There were 10,000 people at the Southern Baptist Conference voting on this. But what about everybody else? Where are they on this?

I think that’s still a really open question at this point. I talked to this young pastor from Georgia at the meeting, who was saying, you know, I don’t want to go back to the people in my church and tell them that the creation of their children and grandchildren comes from these immoral means. And the language of the resolution was careful around that, but it’s still going to be really hard to get that across and to just translate it for the people in the pews. And if you’re an ordinary Southern Baptist kind of reading the headlines and even reading the text of this, it’s a tough one.

At the same time, talking with Andrew Walker about this, who co-wrote the resolution, he acknowledged that a lot of Southern Baptists have not really thought about this stuff in terms of ethics and morality and connected it to the abortion question. But when he has one-on-one conversations with people about the topic and sort of walks them through, basically, the logic of the resolution, he said almost everyone comes away from those conversations with, at the very least, a sort of skepticism and a level of critical thinking around fertility treatments that they didn’t come in with. And that suggests that there’s at least sort of an openness to thinking differently about fertility treatments.

And the reason all this matters is obviously evangelicals are this hugely influential voting bloc. They’re used to having the power to turn their theological beliefs into policy. And when they come together, you get this political force, the same political force that worked for decades over a lot of obstacles and was eventually successful in overturning “Roe v. Wade.”

Now, IVF is different than abortion. IVF is extremely popular, including, at this point, among evangelical Christians. But if we find out that evangelicals are persuadable on IVF, it doesn’t just have implications for their personal spiritual lives. If this is the beginning of a moral awakening on IVF, and that’s a big if, it would have real implications for the rest of the country.

Ruth, thank you.

Here’s what else you need to know today. On Friday, the Supreme Court struck down a ban on bump stocks which enable semiautomatic rifles to fire at speeds rivaling those of machine guns. The decision, by a vote of 6 to 3, split along ideological lines, had the effect of erasing one of the government’s rare firearm regulations that came from a mass shooting. Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, said that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had exceeded its power when it prohibited the device by issuing a rule that classified bump stocks as machine guns. And —

[CROWD CHANTING]

— tens of thousands of demonstrators crowded onto streets in France on Saturday to denounce the rise of the country’s far right as the nation prepared to vote in snap elections set to take place later this month. French president Emmanuel Macron shocked the country last week by announcing that he was dissolving the lower house of Parliament after his party was clobbered by far right opponents in a vote to seat the next European Parliament. Critics, including some in Macron’s own party, warned that the president’s move to call snap elections opened the door to empowering the far right in France for the first time since World War II.

Today’s episode was produced by Rob Szypko, Sydney Harper, Stella Tan, Aastha Chaturvedi, and Rachelle Bonja. It was edited by Marc Georges and Lisa Chow, contains original music by Dan Powell and Marion Lozano, and was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Sabrina Tavernise. See you tomorrow.

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Produced by Rob Szypko ,  Sydney Harper ,  Stella Tan ,  Asthaa Chaturvedi and Rachelle Bonja

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The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest denomination of Protestant Christians in the United States, voted at an annual gathering last week to oppose the use of in vitro fertilization.

Ruth Graham, who covers religion, faith and values for The New York Times, discusses the story behind the vote, the Republican scramble it prompted and what it could eventually mean for the rest of the country.

On today’s episode

Ruth Graham , who covers religion, faith and values for The New York Times.

Background reading

How baptists and the Republican Party took different paths on I.V.F.

Here’s what to know about the vote .

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We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam and Nick Pitman.

Ruth Graham is a national reporter, based in Dallas, covering religion, faith and values for The Times. More about Ruth Graham

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