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1. • CommentRowNumber1.
   • CommentAuthorUrs
   • CommentTimeJan 26th 2019
   • PermaLink
   Author: Urs
   Format: MarkdownItexI want to make a list with (historical) null results in experimental physics that have been important for development of theoretical physics. Puny start so far, hope to collect more <a href="https://ncatlab.org/nlab/revision/null+result/1">v1</a>, <a href="https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/null+result">current</a>

   I want to make a list with (historical) null results in experimental physics that have been important for development of theoretical physics. Puny start so far, hope to collect more

   v1, current

2. • CommentRowNumber2.
   • CommentAuthorDaniel Luckhardt
   • CommentTimeJan 26th 2019
   • (edited Jan 26th 2019)
   • PermaLink
   Author: Daniel Luckhardt
   Format: MarkdownItexWould Experimentum crucis ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimentum_crucis](Wikipedia)) be a better term?

   Would Experimentum crucis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimentum_crucis) be a better term?

3. • CommentRowNumber3.
   • CommentAuthorTim_Porter
   • CommentTimeJan 26th 2019
   • PermaLink
   Author: Tim_Porter
   Format: MarkdownItexDaniel: you needed to type [Experimentum crucis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimentum_crucis).

   Daniel: you needed to type Experimentum crucis.

4. • CommentRowNumber4.
   • CommentAuthorUrs
   • CommentTimeJan 27th 2019
   • PermaLink
   Author: Urs
   Format: MarkdownItexFunny how it goes these days. People make it to the New York Times with the claim that null results are generally not useful. Now you seem to ask if, on the contrary, "crucial result" is a synonym for null result. Admittedly, I can't understand where this all comes from. To me it seems evident, elementary and trivial that a null result may be any or neither of worthless or crucial. In fact every result is a null result for a suitable choice of null hypothesis. That said, I don't want to get sidetracked into discussing this. I think what I set out to do here -- collecting examples of null results that were historically important -- is, even if about trivia, an interesting thing to do. I am not pursuing this as a main activity, just for entertainment and procrastination -- and maybe eventually to help out NYT editors ;-) All substantial contributions are welcome.

   Funny how it goes these days. People make it to the New York Times with the claim that null results are generally not useful. Now you seem to ask if, on the contrary, “crucial result” is a synonym for null result.

   Admittedly, I can’t understand where this all comes from. To me it seems evident, elementary and trivial that a null result may be any or neither of worthless or crucial. In fact every result is a null result for a suitable choice of null hypothesis.

   That said, I don’t want to get sidetracked into discussing this. I think what I set out to do here – collecting examples of null results that were historically important – is, even if about trivia, an interesting thing to do. I am not pursuing this as a main activity, just for entertainment and procrastination – and maybe eventually to help out NYT editors ;-)

   All substantial contributions are welcome.