Trial and error Memes

Textbooks: "Form hypothesis, design experiment, collect data, analyze results..." Reality: "Mix random chemicals and see what happens." The gap between theoretical science and practical research is wider than the distance between significant figures in your p-value. Most breakthrough discoveries started with someone thinking "I wonder what happens if I do this completely unhinged thing?" Newton didn't write "investigate gravitational forces" on his to-do list - an apple just fell on his head while he was procrastinating.

The textbook definition of the scientific method: observe, hypothesize, experiment, analyze, conclude. The actual scientific method: chaotic experimentation until something interesting happens! Every breakthrough discovery in history started with someone thinking "what if I just try this random thing?" Newton didn't plan to revolutionize physics—he was just vibing under an apple tree. Fleming discovered penicillin because he was too lazy to clean his petri dishes. Behind every polished journal publication is a scientist who spent months frantically mixing chemicals and muttering "why isn't this working?!" before stumbling onto something brilliant by accident. It's basically organized chaos with better documentation.