Biology

The purpose of the control group in an experiment is:

To serve as a comparison.

The control group is exposed to all the same conditions as the experimental group except for the independent variable. This allows researchers to compare the results from the experimental group (which is exposed to the independent variable) with the control group (which is not exposed to the independent variable). By comparing these groups, you can see what changes in the dependent variable occur as a result of the independent variable.

For example, if you're testing a new drug, the experimental group would receive the drug, while the control group might receive a placebo (a substance with no active e...