Scientific Knowledge

Scientific knowledge comes from making observations and inferences. An observation is a statement based on the five senses , something that you can hear, taste, see, smell, or touch.

An inference is a judgement or opinion that is based on the observations. Observations and inference are an important part of qualitative analysis. When trying to identify a sample, chemists will first observe the sample or the results of tests conducted on the sample.

Based on the results they infer the identity of the substance. An example of this process is when we observe a ‘popping’ sound in a flame test we infer that hydrogen gas was present to cause the ‘pop’.

All scientific knowledge is gained from making observations and then inferring knowledge from them. Information gathered through the five senses is known as empirical knowledge and describes what is being observed. For example, if a thermometer is placed in boiling water it reads 100 ºC, the temperature at which water changes from a liquid to a gas.

Theoretical knowledge tries to explain how or why something occurs. A theory is an explanation of a large number of related observations. Once someone has developed a theory, they need to communicate it to other people. A model is an effective way to communicate a theory. A model can change over time as new information is added to it.