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.

Observation (Wikipedia)

For other uses, see Observation (disambiguation).

Observation in the natural sciences is an act or instance of noticing or perceiving and the acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the perception and recording of data via the use of scientific instruments. The term may also refer to any data collected during the scientific activity. Observations can be qualitative, that is, only the absence or presence of a property is noted, or quantitative if a numerical value is attached to the observed phenomenon by counting or measuring.