Qualities of a Good Scientific Observation
- OBJECTIVE (No Opinions or Inferences)
- Observation: There is a person floating in the water with the arms stretched out.
- Inference: Stretching out the arms increases the person’s surface area helping them float more.
- (An inference is what you think explains what you observe. However, it does not have to be true. It is not a fact.)
- QUANTITATIVE: an observation that uses exact measurements or amounts.
- It takes 10 seconds for the car to reach the finish line.
- Book weighs 50 grams.
- NOTICES PATTERNS
- The bell rings every 2 seconds.
- The dog barks every time it sees a car.
- When measurements are not possible,
- MAKES COMPARISONS with well-known objects.
- Object is as tall as a four-story building
- Object is the size of a penny.
- MAKES COMPARISONS with well-known objects.
- DETAILED and descriptive, but only includes relevant information.
- “INTERESTING”
- Interesting is an opinion, but we use “interesting” to represent something that helps you understand what you are observing at a deeper level. You might notice something unexpected or less obvious.