Editing Observation (section)

==Science==
The [[scientific method]] requires observations of [[list of natural phenomena|natural phenomena]] to formulate and test [[hypothesis|hypotheses]].<ref name="Kosso">{{cite book
  | last = Kosso
  | first = Peter
  | title = A Summary of Scientific Method
  | publisher = Springer
  | year = 2011
  | page = 9
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=lkioLpvIgfYC&q=%22scientific+method%22+observation
  | isbn = 978-9400716131}}</ref> It consists of the following steps:<ref name="Sadava">{{cite book
  | last1 = Mendez
  | first1 = Carl Cedrick L.
  | first2=H. Craig |last2=Heller |first3=May |last3=Berenbaum
  | title = Life: The Science of Biology, 9th Ed.
  | publisher = Macmillan
  | year = 2009
  | location = US
  | pages = 13–14
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ANT8VB14oBUC&q=%22scientific+method%22+observation+hypothesis+experiment+conclusion&pg=PA14
  | isbn = 978-1429219624}}</ref><ref name="Shipman">{{cite book
  | last1 = Shipman
  | first1 = James
  |last2=Wilson|first2=Jerry D.|first3=Aaron|last3=Todd
  | title = Introduction to Physical Science, 12th Ed.
  | publisher = Cengage Learning
  | year = 2009
  | page = 4
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7feg9MZMPQMC&q=%22scientific+method%22+observation+hypothesis+experiment+conclusion&pg=PA4
  | isbn = 978-0538731874}}</ref>
# Ask a [[question]] about a [[phenomenon]]
# Make observations of the phenomenon
# Formulate a [[hypothesis]] that tentatively answers the question
# [[prediction|Predict]] logical, observable [[consequent|consequences]] of the hypothesis that have not yet been investigated
# Test the hypothesis' predictions by an [[experiment]], [[observational study]], [[field research|field study]], or [[simulation]]
# Draw a [[logical consequence|conclusion]] from [[data]] gathered in the experiment, or revise the hypothesis or form a new one and [[reproducibility|repeat]] the process
# Write a [[protocol (science)|descriptive method]] of observation and the [[result]]s or conclusions reached
# Have peers with experience researching the same phenomenon [[peer review|evaluate]] the results

Observations play a role in the second and fifth steps of the scientific method. However, the need for [[reproducibility]] requires that observations by different observers can be comparable. Human [[sense]] impressions are [[subjectivity|subjective]] and [[qualitative data|qualitative]], making them difficult to record or compare. The use of [[measurement]] was developed to allow the recording and comparison of observations made at different times and places, by different people. The measurement consists of using observation to compare the phenomenon being observed to a [[Standard (metrology)|standard unit]]. The standard unit can be an artifact, process, or definition which can be duplicated or shared by all observers.  In measurement, the number of standard units which is equal to the observation is counted.  Measurement reduces an observation to a number that can be recorded, and two observations which result in the same number are equal within the [[measurement|resolution]] of the process.

Human senses are limited and subject to errors in perception, such as [[optical illusion]]s. [[Scientific instrument]]s were developed to aid human abilities of observation, such as [[weighing scale]]s, [[clock]]s, [[telescope]]s, [[microscope]]s, [[thermometer]]s, [[camera]]s, and [[tape recorder]]s, and also translate into perceptible form events that are unobservable by the senses, such as [[pH indicator|indicator dyes]], [[voltmeter]]s, [[spectrometer]]s, [[infrared camera]]s, [[oscilloscope]]s, [[interferometer]]s, [[Geiger counter]]s, and [[radio receiver]]s.

One problem encountered throughout scientific fields is that the observation may affect the process being observed, resulting in a different outcome than if the process was unobserved. This is called the ''[[observer effect (physics)|observer effect]]''. For example, it is not normally possible to check the air pressure in an automobile tire without letting out some of the air, thereby changing the pressure. However, in most fields of science, it is possible to reduce the effects of observation to insignificance by using better instruments.

Considered as a physical process itself, all forms of observation (human or instrumental) involve amplification and are thus thermodynamically [[irreversibility|irreversible processes]], increasing [[entropy]].