Compare and contract these efforts in terms of whether they

Compare and contract these efforts in terms of whether they are correlational in the engineering domain. Collecting data on various power plants and reporting on operational impacts on efficiencies of the heat exchanger configurations Varying drive torque on hydraulic pump to determine performance specifications

Solution

In correlational research variables are not manipulated, but are only measured. The purpose is to identify the relationship between the variables. For example, correlation between the set of variables -- such as blood pressure and cholesterol level -- is examined. In experimental research, variables are manipulated, and the effects of this manipulation is measured upon the dependent variable.

In experimental research a treatment is deliberately imposed on a group of objects or participants. In other words, blood pressure can be artificially increased by a researcher; and then cholesterol level is recorded, showing increase or decrease. If changes that are made in variable A lead to changes in variable B, then the conclusion that “A influences B” can be made.

Causal relations between variables can only be conclusively demonstrated by experimental data.

Data from correlational research cannot prove causality: correlation does not equal causation.

example 1 represents the correlational research

example 2 represents experimental research