LET US OBSERVE THE ENVIRONMENT

 

 The environment is our surrounding. Our house is the closest environment to us. The sun, the moon, the planets are or far-off environment. Our school, neighboring houses, neighboring villages, forests, lakes, mountains, the sky belong to the environment. Different environments consist of different components.

 

Sense organs that assist observation

We identify the things in the environment through observation.

When we here a bark of a dog we know that there is a dog somewhere around.

 

 

Also we can identify a vehicle whether it is a lorry or a bus or a car by its sound. The ear helps us to here the sounds.

 

 

 

We identify things by seen. For example identify an oil lamp by looking at its flame. The eye helps us to identify by vision. In some instances we identify things by tasting.

 

 

 

 

 The tongue helps us to identify the taste.

 

Things can be identified by their odour as well. For example when we use a perfume we can smell it. We feel the smell of the flowers. Also we can feel the smell of rotten dead body. The nose helps us to identify the smell.

We can identify things also by the touch. The skin helps us to feel sense related to heat such as warmth and coldness.

The sense organs help to make observations about the things in the environment.

The measurements help to- give a numerical value for observations carried out by the sense organs. Observations become more scientific when a numerical value is given to a thing that is only with a sense value.

Some observations and the sense organs that help to observe are given in the following table.

Observation                                                    Sense organ

Seeing an object                                                Eye

Hearing a sound                                                Ear

           

Tasting a food                                                   Tongue

           

Smelling a flower                                              Nose

           

Feeling pain /hotness /coldness                       Skin

/touch/pressure

Investigating the environment using the sense organs with special attention is called observation. Observation is the most important step in the scientific process. Can you see each and everything by your naked eye?

There are limitations in observations perceived by the sense organs. Investments have been devised to observe things which are beyond the scope of our sense organs.