Which statement best describes empirical data in scientific inquiry?

Which statement best describes empirical data in scientific inquiry?

• A. Data derived from theory only
• B. Data derived from observation and experiment
• C. Data ignored in hypothesis testing
• D. Data collected after forming a paradigm

Answer: (B)

Empirical data are observations and measurements obtained by watching, testing, and recording what happens in the real world. In science, you test ideas by gathering information through careful observation or controlled experiments, and you use that information as evidence to support, refine, or challenge a hypothesis. Because empirical data come from actual experience and can be measured or verified by others, they ground conclusions in what can be observed rather than solely in theory or speculation. This is what makes data derived from observation and experiment the best description of empirical data. Data that only come from theory, or that aren’t used in testing hypotheses, aren’t empirical in the same sense, and data collected after forming a paradigm may still be empirical but aren’t defining of the concept.

Empirical data are observations and measurements obtained by watching, testing, and recording what happens in the real world. In science, you test ideas by gathering information through careful observation or controlled experiments, and you use that information as evidence to support, refine, or challenge a hypothesis. Because empirical data come from actual experience and can be measured or verified by others, they ground conclusions in what can be observed rather than solely in theory or speculation. This is what makes data derived from observation and experiment the best description of empirical data. Data that only come from theory, or that aren’t used in testing hypotheses, aren’t empirical in the same sense, and data collected after forming a paradigm may still be empirical but aren’t defining of the concept.