Gathering scientific information by watching a phenomenon is called what?

Gathering scientific information by watching a phenomenon is called what?

• A. Experimentation
• B. Observation
• C. Data
• D. Deduction

Answer: (B)

Watching a phenomenon to gather scientific information is observation. Observation is the process of noticing and recording facts about the natural world using our senses and tools, and it can be descriptive (qualitative) or numeric (quantitative). It’s what scientists do to document what’s happening before testing ideas. This differs from experimentation, where conditions are deliberately changed to test effects; from data, which are the collected facts themselves; and from deduction, which is reasoning from general principles to specific conclusions.

Watching a phenomenon to gather scientific information is observation. Observation is the process of noticing and recording facts about the natural world using our senses and tools, and it can be descriptive (qualitative) or numeric (quantitative). It’s what scientists do to document what’s happening before testing ideas. This differs from experimentation, where conditions are deliberately changed to test effects; from data, which are the collected facts themselves; and from deduction, which is reasoning from general principles to specific conclusions.