Transcript The Scientific Method

**Observations**
Quantitative Observations – observations
using measurements. Numbers
1. Quantity – how many?
2. Weight/height/length
3. Temperature
Qualitative Observations –
observations describing qualities using
your 5 senses.
1. Things you can’t put a number to.
2. Smell
3. Color
**Making an Inference**
**An inference is an EXPLANATION of an
observation based on past experience.
For example:
You OBSERVE that the grass is wet outside of the
school. What can you infer?
- it rained
- sprinklers were on
- There is dew on the grass from the morning
- A dog used the bathroom!!
Making an Inference
1. You hear a lot of screaming outside.
What can you infer about what is going
on?
- Fight
- A class is playing a game
- There is a school football game going
on
- Cicada attack
Making an Inference
2. The school fire alarm is going
off….
- A school fire drill
- A student pulled the alarm
- The school is on fire
*Making an Inference*
**An inferences is a guess. It is NOT FINAL!!
**You need to INVESTIGATE further to find
out what BEST explains your inference.
1. Think about the wet grass example, what
further investigations could you use to
accurately determine why the grass is
wet?
2. What about the screaming outside?
*Making an Inference*
**Testing or experimenting is way to
further investigate an observation.
A doctor could infer that a patient has
strep throat because their throat is
red….but how could the doctor test
(investigate) to find out what is
wrong?
Look at these two sets of
animal tracks.
•List
3
OBSERVATIONS
•Make
an INFERENCE
Now what do you think?
Make 3 OBSERVATIONS
Make an INFERENCE
Now what do you think?
Make 3 OBSERVATIONS
Make an INFERENCE