Doing a chemistry experiment or work on a chemistry experiment?

Question

Doing a chemistry experiment or working on a chemistry experiment?

Which one is correct? Did some google search but found nothing related. Should I use do or work on?

Answer 1

Depends on what you want to say. "Doing" a chemistry experiment feels a little more final. You sit down, you do it, and you're done. "Working on" a chemistry experiment feels more ongoing, where you make progress on it but you don't finish. So I would use "do" if it's a short experiment that you're going to do all at once, and "working on" if you are working on getting it ready and setting it up, or if it's a long experiment that will take a day or longer.

Answer 2

I would offer a third alternative, particularly as it relates to an experiment:

"Conducting a chemistry experiment...."

There is a particular relationship between an experiment and carrying it out, conveyed by "conducting." An experiment refers essentially to observing the results of an orchestrated series of steps or processes, and the word "conducting" is commonly used in this context. "Performing" is also a good alternative.