Science Common Sense

471 - What are the differences between qualitative and quantitative observations?

Imagine you're observing a plant growing in a garden.

Qualitative observations are like making descriptive notes. You might write: - The leaves are green and wavy. - The stems are long and thin. - It smells nice.

These observations describe what you see and how it looks, feels, smells, tastes, or sounds.

Quantitative observations are like taking measurements. You might write: - The plant is 10 inches tall. - The leaves are 5 inches wide. - It takes 5 days for new leaves to grow.

These observations give you numbers and facts that can be counted and measured.

So, qualitative observations tell you what something is like, while quantitative observations tell you how much or how many.