Definition of observations Observations

/ɑˌbzɚvejˈʃʌnz/ - [abzerveyshunz] -

We found 3 definitions of observations from 2 different sources.

What does observations mean?

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Noun Plural: observations
observation - the act of observing; taking a patient look
		observance, watching
		looking at, looking, look the act of searching visually
		monitoring the act of observing something (and sometimes keeping a record of it); "the monitoring of enemy communications plays an important role in war times"
		sighting the act of observing; "several sightings of enemy troops were reported"
observation - a remark expressing careful consideration
		reflection, reflexion
		remark, comment, input explicit notice; "it passed without remark"
observation - facts learned by observing; "he reported his observations to the mayor"
		fact a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred; "first you must collect all the facts of the case"
observation - the act of making and recording a measurement
		measurement, measuring, mensuration, measure the act or process of assigning numbers to phenomena according to a rule; "the measurements were carefully done"; "his mental measurings proved remarkably accurate"
observation - the act of noticing or paying attention; "he escaped the notice of the police"
		notice, observance
		attending, attention a courteous act indicating affection; "she tried to win his heart with her many attentions"
		mind that which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings; the seat of the faculty of reason; "his mind wandered"; "I couldn't get his words out of my head"

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observation (Noun)
The act of observing, and the fact of being observed.
observation (Noun)
The act of noting and recording some event; or the record of such noting.
observation (Noun)
A remark or comment.
observation (Noun)
A judgement based on observing.

observation (n.)
The act or the faculty of observing or taking notice; the act of seeing, or of fixing the mind upon, anything.
observation (n.)
The result of an act, or of acts, of observing; view; reflection; conclusion; judgment.
observation (n.)
Hence: An expression of an opinion or judgment upon what one has observed; a remark.
observation (n.)
Performance of what is prescribed; adherence in practice; observance.
observation (n.)
The act of recognizing and noting some fact or occurrence in nature, as an aurora, a corona, or the structure of an animal.
observation (n.)
Specifically, the act of measuring, with suitable instruments, some magnitude, as the time of an occultation, with a clock; the right ascension of a star, with a transit instrument and clock; the sun's altitude, or the distance of the moon from a star, with a sextant; the temperature, with a thermometer, etc.
observation (n.)
The information so acquired.

observation
the art of measuring the altitude of the sun or a star, in order to determine the latitude, or the sun’s azimuth, &c.

observation
In nautical astronomy, denotes the taking the sun, moon, or stars' altitude with a quadrant or sextant, in order thereby to find the latitude or time; also, the lunar distances.

Observation is an activity of an intelligent living being (e.g. human), which senses and assimilates the knowledge of a phenomenon in its framework of previous knowledge and ideas.

Observation is more than the bare act of observing: To perform observation, a being must observe and seek to add to its knowledge.

Observations that come from self-defining instruments are often unreliable ¹. Such observations are hard to reproduce because they may vary even with respect to the same stimuli. Therefore they are not of much use in exact sciences like physics which require instruments which do not define themselves. It is therefore often necessary to use various engineered instruments like: spectrometers, oscilloscopes, cameras, telescopes, interferometers, tape recorders, thermometers etc. and tools like clocks, scale that help in improving the accuracy, quality and utility of the information obtained from an observation.

The accuracy and tremendous success of science is primarily attributed to the accuracy and objectivity (i.e. repeatability) of observation of the reality that science explores.

The role of observation in the scientific method.

Observation plays a role in the first and fourth steps in the above list. Reliance is placed upon the five physical senses: visual perception, hearing, taste, feeling, and olfaction, and upon measurement techniques. Therefore there are always certain limitations in making observations.