4-1.1 Classify observations as either quantitative or qualitative.
Qualitative & Quantitative Observations
Essential Question: How can an observation be either quantitative or qualitative?
Every day, you learn things about your world. You observe, or notice, things around you. You have most likely observed that a lemon tastes sour. You may have observed the shape of a leaf or the way a rock feels when you touch it. You may have measured the length of a leaf or the weight of a rock. Observing the natural world is the first step in thinking like a scientist.
Observations and Questions
An observation is information you gather by using your five senses. Those senses are sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste.
You make an observation when you see a bird or hear it sing. You make an observation when you touch, smell, or taste an orange. (Never taste anything in science class without your teacher’s permission.)
An observation may lead you to ask questions. Scientists ask questions about the natural world. Then they try to find answers. You will learn how to go about answering science questions as you read the other lessons in this chapter.
Essential Question: How can an observation be either quantitative or qualitative?
Every day, you learn things about your world. You observe, or notice, things around you. You have most likely observed that a lemon tastes sour. You may have observed the shape of a leaf or the way a rock feels when you touch it. You may have measured the length of a leaf or the weight of a rock. Observing the natural world is the first step in thinking like a scientist.
Observations and Questions
An observation is information you gather by using your five senses. Those senses are sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste.
You make an observation when you see a bird or hear it sing. You make an observation when you touch, smell, or taste an orange. (Never taste anything in science class without your teacher’s permission.)
An observation may lead you to ask questions. Scientists ask questions about the natural world. Then they try to find answers. You will learn how to go about answering science questions as you read the other lessons in this chapter.
Kinds of Observations
The observations described above are qualitative observations. These are observations that you make using your senses. You can use words, pictures, or diagrams to tell about these observations. You can say that a bird has white tail feathers. You can draw the shape of a leaf. An observation that you make using numbers or measurement is called quantitative observations. You might observe that a flower has five petals, or that a leaf is 4 centimeters long. To make these observations, you must count or measure with a tool. A measurement always includes a number and a unit, such as centimeters. Some quantitative observations compare things. When you tell others about these observations, you use words such as more than, less than, few, all or none. |
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Scientific Observation versus Opinion
A scientific observation is made by using your senses or by taking measurements. It is an observation that anyone can make and get the same results.
You might observe that plants take in water. This is a scientific observation. You can make this same observation over and over again. Other people can also observe that plants take in water. Your observation is true.
Suppose that your friend tastes a carrot. Then your friend tells you that carrots taste terrible. This is an opinion. An opinion is not a scientific observation. An opinion is something a person believes or judges. It can change from one person to another.
You may think carrots are the best-tasting vegetables, but your friend does not agree. What you think or your friend thinks is an opinion that can change. Scientific knowledge is based on scientific observations, not opinions.
A scientific observation is made by using your senses or by taking measurements. It is an observation that anyone can make and get the same results.
You might observe that plants take in water. This is a scientific observation. You can make this same observation over and over again. Other people can also observe that plants take in water. Your observation is true.
Suppose that your friend tastes a carrot. Then your friend tells you that carrots taste terrible. This is an opinion. An opinion is not a scientific observation. An opinion is something a person believes or judges. It can change from one person to another.
You may think carrots are the best-tasting vegetables, but your friend does not agree. What you think or your friend thinks is an opinion that can change. Scientific knowledge is based on scientific observations, not opinions.