SPA–Single Point Analysis and Single Point Application

THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS

On page 11 of the Thorndike Barnhart Advanced Dictionary, “scientific method” is defmed as an orderly method used in scientific research, generally con- sisting in identifying a problem, gathering all the pertinent data, formulating a hy- pothesis, performing experiments, inter- preting the results, and drawing a conclu- sion.”

For an experiment to be scientific it must be possible for properly trained persons to perform it with similar results. Preferably the experiment should be reversible to provide positive proof of causal relation- ships. The instrumentation should be as sophisticated as possible.

Once an hypothesis has been established scientifically, it can form a basis for fur- ther development.