Describing Your World Entry #4. Learning by asking questions is called inquiry. Scientists use this same inquiry process as detectives to come up with.
Post on 16-Dec-2015
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• Learning by asking questions is called inquiry.
• Scientists use this same inquiry process as detectives to come up with theories that answer scientific questions.
I. What is scientific inquiry?
II. Observations
• Observation is a key part of scientific inquiry.
• An observation is an accurate description
• Scientists regularly make two types of observations.
A. Qualitative observations
• A qualitative observation describes qualities such as color, shape, location, taste, loudness, warmth, etc.
The honey mushroom forms clusters above the ground.Which quality is being described in this observation?
• Quantitative observations use a number or measurement to describe something.
B. Quantitative observations
The honey mushroom forms clusters of 10 to 12 caps.Can you think of another quantitative observation?
III. Inference vs. observation
• An inference is different from an observation.
• An inference is an opinion you have or a judgment you make.
• If you infer the size of the honey mushroom only from the caps you see above ground, you missed a major discovery about this fungus.
• Scientific evidence may include numbers, tables, graphs, words, pictures, sound recordings, or other information.
IV. Scientific evidence
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