Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

are the purpose and the objective the same thing?

Hi Maddie94,
Welcome to the Ask an Expert forum. Could you please give us a little context about where you got those terms? Was it from this web page, or from your teacher, or maybe some other source? The terms sound the same to me, but sometimes those things can mean different things to different people. If someone like your teacher specifically asked you to write about "purpose and objectives", then it is worth asking that person exactly what they meant.
Thanks,
Chris

Hi Maddie94,

As ChrisG said, purpose and objective can mean the same thing, and it depends on what you are trying to do. Sometimes, "purpose" refers to the overall purpose of the experiment, while your "objectives" can be more specific goals.

Hope that helps!
Heather