Bellringer--Observations and Inferences

A good scientist is observant and notices events and actions in the world around him/herself. (S)he sees, hears, or in some other way notices what’s going on in the world and becomes curious about what’s happening.

An observation is information gathered by your senses. This can and does include reading and studying what others have done in the past, because scientific knowledge is cumulative (it adds up and builds upon each other). In physics, when Newton came up with his theory of motion, he based his hypothesis on the work of Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo as well as his own, newer observations. Darwin not only observed and took notes during his voyage, but he also studied the practice of artificial selection and read the works of other naturalists to form his theory of evolution.

You would be surprised at how much young scientists miss in an experiment because they aren't paying close attention to their experiment; they aren't observing!

Observations often lead to inferences. An inference is a conclusion based upon an observation. Inferences are often incorrect.

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