Or such a definition may explain how an object works. A ruler contains a series of marks that can be used as a standard when measuring. An automobile is a vehicle that can move from place to place. Forming a Hypothesis Observations You observe all the time. Scientists try to observe as much as possible about the things and events they study so they know that what they say about their observations is reliable.
Some observations describe something using only words.
These observations are called qualitative observations. Other observations describe how much of something there is. These are quantitative observations and use numbers, as well as words, in the description. Tools or equipment are used to measure the characteristic being described. Quantitative observations of this dog might include a mass of 34 kg, a height of 90 cm, ear length of 10 cm, and an age of 1277 days.