What does observation mean?

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Observation is more than just watching or listening to something. If you observe your pet cat or dog sleeping - what noises do they make, what position are they in, where are they, have they just eaten or had some exercise, what time is it? If you observe something, then you probably make notes and may draw some conclusions based on the evidence. E.g. my cat sleeps in the afternoon, by the fire after it has eaten and explored the garden.

Observation is an important skill in all subjects, from science to foreign languages. So, yes this is a very good question.

Looking it up in the dictionary, gives you a short explanation of what observation is. Dictionary.com says it's: 1. an act or instance of noticing or perceiving. 2.an act or instance of regarding attentively or watching. 3.the faculty or habit of observing or noticing. But this only scrapes the surface, don't you think.