Learn English – Difference between “experiment on” and “experiment with”

differencesprepositions

I have two sentences:

  • We experiment on both cases.
  • We experiment with both cases.

The different preposition will change the meaning. But it's difficult to find such nuances in a dictionary. What are the subtleties here, if there are any?

Best Answer

The main nuance is that using "on" makes the cases the subjects of the experiment; they are the things upon which you are experimenting. Using "with" makes the cases instrumental; they are the things you are using to conduct the experiment. From a literal standpoint they pretty much mean the same thing, but there's a subtly different emphasis on the role the cases are playing in the experiment.

Consider the following:

We experimented on a number of different people.

This implies a less consensual situation where the people didn't really have much say in whether the experiment happened or not. They're subjects rather than being involved directly.

We experimented with a number of different people.

This gives a connotation of mutual interest in the experiment; the people were willing participants.