Question

Tara was collecting data about rainfall by measuring water levels in a bucket in her yard. She saw her dog drinking from the bucket. This is an example of:

a) Inference
b) Observation
c) Experimentation
d) Hypothesis

Answer 1

Tara witnessing her dog drinking from the bucket, while collecting rainfall data, is an example of making an observation, which is a fundamental step in scientific methodology before forming a hypothesis or conducting experiments.

Step-by-step explanation:

Tara was collecting data about rainfall by measuring water levels in a bucket in her yard. Tara's observation of her dog drinking from the bucket is an example of an observation. An observation is a qualitative or quantitative description of properties or occurrences that can be noted without necessarily proving or explaining them. In the context of scientific methodology, once an observation is made, scientists may form a hypothesis, which is a tentative explanation that can be confirmed or disproved through experimentation. However, Tara simply noting that her dog drank from the bucket does not suggest she is formulating a hypothesis, conducting an experiment, or making an inference; she is merely stating what she has seen.