Observations & Inferences

Observations:

• Require inferencing to be made

• Do not lead to inferences

• Are made using your senses

• Only take place prior to hypothesis formation

Which of the following is an example of an observation:

• Hurricanes seem to make rough waves

• The waves are rough today

• Hurricanes lose strength over land

• Hurricanes rotate since the Earth also rotates

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.6

Which of the following is an example of an inference:

• Birds diving into the ocean means there are small fish there

• Birds flying over the ocean typically do not flap their wings

• Oceanic birds are larger than land birds

• The fish is floating very still under the floating seaweed

Which of the following is an example of an observation:

• The ocean creates foam when there are rough waves

• The seaweed grows best with nutrients

• The seaweed floats on the ocean water

• The stronger the winds the bigger the waves are

An inferences is different from an observation since:

• Inferences are made with your senses

• You make thousands of inferences daily, more so than observations

• It helps to explain something to make sense out of it, observations do not do that.

• Inferencing comes before observation, and it starts the process of science.

The table top is smooth.

• Qualitative Observation

• Quantitative Observation

• Hypothesis

• Inference

The penguin got pushed in.

• Qualitative Observation

• Inference

• Quantitative Observation

• Hypothesis

These kind of observations are made using instruments such as rulers, balances and thermometers.

• Qualitative Observations

• Quantitative Observations

• Scientific Observations

• Measured Observations

There are 29 students in the classroom.

• quantitative observation

• qualitative observation

• inference

• hypothesis

The boy is probably sad...

• Qualitative Observation

• Hypothesis

• Inference

• Quantitative Observation