Sometimes it is easier than others – Its normal to forget to add something in an experiment, especially as scientists are usually doing a few different experiments at once! For me, the type of experiments I carry out are using cells – sometimes its annoying if I miss out something that I can’t add but on the whole its not too difficult to start again or add in the missed component at a later point.
That’s a great question. Change the “if” for a “when”, because it will happen. Mistakes are an accepted part of experimental science. The good think is that, as you get more experienced, you learn to predict yourself and end up doing fewer mistakes. As Natasha said, sometimes it is quite easy to fix, although others you need to start all over again.
It depends on the type of science and the actual experiment really. If for example you make a solution too “acid” you can usually add a counteracting agent (“base”) to stabilise it again. But many times unless you know EXACTLY what you did wrong (and really, you rarely do!), it is really hard to fix properly and it is less work and better science to start from scratch.
Yep, it’s almost always the only option to start over. Better to do it right than completely waste your time! I am not sure that I make fewer mistakes as I get older though…
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