Scientific Method and Measurement
- The scientific method requires observations of natural phenomena to formulate and test hypotheses.
- Steps of the scientific method: asking a question, making observations, formulating a hypothesis, predicting consequences, testing through experiments, drawing conclusions, and evaluating by peers.
- Observations in the scientific method are made measurable for reproducibility.
- Measurement involves comparing the observed phenomenon to a standard unit.
- Standard units can be artifacts, processes, or definitions shared by all observers.
- Measurement reduces observations to recordable numbers.

Scientific Instruments
- Scientific instruments aid human observation abilities.
- Instruments include weighing scales, clocks, telescopes, microscopes, etc.
- They translate unobservable events into perceptible form.
- Instruments help overcome limitations and errors in human senses.
- Better instruments can reduce the effects of observation on the observed process.

Paradoxes
- Observations in certain scientific fields can differ based on factors not noticeable in everyday observation.
- Examples include relativity and quantum mechanics.
- Relativity: Observers with different velocities may observe different properties of an object.
- Quantum mechanics: Observing a system changes it, and the observer becomes part of the observed system.
- Observations collapse wave functions into a single state in quantum mechanics.
- Observations must consider the observer's reference frame or state of motion.

Biases
- Human perception is not impartial and is influenced by internal models or schemas.
- Memory gaps can be filled with plausible data to fit the internal model (reconstructive memory).
- Attention to perceived data depends on an internal value system.
- Different people can have different perceptions of the same event, leading to unreliable eyewitness testimony.
- Confirmation bias leads to observations biased towards confirming expectations and views of the world.

Origins of Observation in Cosmology and Process Philosophy
- Observation in cosmology relates to the origins and evolution of the universe.
- Cosmology studies rely on observational data to formulate theories and models.
- Process philosophy examines the changing relationships of our senses, minds, and experiences.
- Observation is integral to process philosophy and understanding the changing world.
- Observation is fundamental in gaining knowledge and understanding of the world.