Observations and inferences

Question 1

What is an observation?

Answer 1

An observation is the gathering of information by using our five senses: taste, touch, smell, hearing, sight.

Question 2

What are the two types of observations?

Answer 2

1. Qualitative
2. Quantitative

Question 3

What are qualitative observations?

Answer 3

• Qualitative observations describe what we observe
• “Qualitative” = quality (descriptive)
• These observations use adjectives to describe something
  eg. the flower has white petals.

Question 4

What are quantitative observations?

Answer 4

• Quantitative observations measure what we observe
• “Quantitative” = quantity (numerical)
• These observations use numbers to measure things in a quantitative way
  eg. the flower has 7 petals

Question 5

What are inferences?

Answer 5

• Inferences are an explanation for an observation you have made
• They are based on your passed experiences and prior knowledge
• Inferences are often changed when new observations are made
• Again, inferences are observations we gather through our five senses, inferences help explain those observations