Qualitative: to describe something using physical descriptions. When making a quantitative analysis you will use your senses: smell, sight, touching, tasting and hearing. Quantitative: to describe something using numbers or measures. Why do scientists talk like this? Why can't they do something else? Science wouldn't be science without the facts, research, and numbers to back up all those theories. Can you imagine Albert Einstein trying to promote his famous theory of relativity without any numbers, research, or the famous formula E=MC2? Quantitative data depends on the fact that you can put everything in terms of numbers. "This hot chocolate is hotter than that hot chocolate" might be a true statement. But it is not as informative as "This hot chocolate is 100 degrees Fahrenheit; therefore, it is 30 degrees hotter than this other cup of hot chocolate, which is 70 degrees Fahrenheit." Someone who is a traveler might make a qualitative observation that the Salt Lake City International Airport is very busy. The quantitative data about passenger traffic at Salt Lake International Airport would prove that the airport is, in fact, the busiest in the world: In 2008, more than 90 million passengers used Salt Lake City International. Numbers (quantities) are easier to "see" in our mind when we are trying to describe something. See if you can solve some of these statements: Are they qualitative or quantitative? 1. Lemons taste sour. 2. One leaf is 9 cm long. 3. The mass of the computer is 1 1/2 kg. 4. The plant is short. 5. The dog lost three claws chasing two cats down the street. How did you do? 1. (Qualitative) 2. (Quantitative) 3. (Quantitative) 4. (Qualitative) 5. (Quantitative) If you don't quite get it, that's okay...we will keep practicing until it makes sense.
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |