Scientific Enquiry - Making observations and measurements

Observations involve using the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste) to gather information about the world.

Quantitative observations are measurements that use numbers and units, such as a mass of $50\text{ g}$ or a length of $10\text{ cm}$.

Qualitative observations describe qualities or characteristics without using numbers, such as 'the liquid turned blue'.

Length is measured using a ruler or meter rule in units like millimeters ($mm$), centimeters ($cm$), and meters ($m$).

Mass is the amount of matter in an object, measured using a balance or scale in grams ($g$) and kilograms ($kg$).

Volume is the amount of space a liquid takes up, measured using a measuring cylinder in milliliters ($ml$) and liters ($l$).

Temperature measures how hot or cold something is using a thermometer in degrees Celsius ($^\circ C$).

When reading scales (like a measuring cylinder or ruler), always look at the scale at eye level to avoid parallax errors.

The meniscus is the curve seen at the top of a liquid in a container. Measurements should be taken from the bottom of the meniscus.