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→Key Stage 4
===Meaning===
To '''observe''' is to collect and record information during an [[Experiment|experiment]] using [[Scientific|scientific]] tools and [[Scientific Instrument|instruments]]. Any [[data]] collected during an [[experiment]] is called an '[[Observation|observation]]'.
===About Observations===
: '''Observations''' may be informal (not part of an [[experiment]]) and can be used to make a [[hypothesis]] which then leads to an [[experiment]].
: Some '''observations''' are made during an [[experiment]] because the [[Dependent Variable|dependent variable]] cannot be [[measure]]d. This might happen if there is a colour change of an [[indicator]] or a [[precipitate]] is formed. In both cases these are not [[measure]]d but [[observe]]d.
==Key Stage 5==
To '''observe''' is to collect and record information during an [[Experiment|experiment]] using [[Scientific|scientific]] tools and [[Scientific Instrument|instruments]] ideally in a way that does not affect the [[experiment]]. In some [[Experiment|experiments]] observing is not a passive activity and the act of observing changes the [[results]] of the [[experiment]].