Observations

“Observations” and “measurements” are seen as fairly routine activities, and the general intent is aimed at creating a protocol or standard operating procedure that others can replicate, rather than testing some specific hypothesis. Thus someone will look at and document use-wear under a microscope or measure the relative proportions of different minerals in a clay or rock. The main difference between the two processes reflects the instruments involved: a microscope “observes” and a spectrometer “measures,” but since these distinctions are somewhat arbitrary, the two processes may eventually be combined.

The present list of entry fields includes:

• Observation Name
• Observation Type
• What are you observing?
• What are you looking for?
• Activity Area
• Web Page
• Comment