Physical Scales of Observation Used By Scientists
Name _________________________________
SCALES OF OBSERVATION
Global
Regional
Local
(outcrop or field site)
Hand sample
(field/lab sample)
Microscopic
Atomic (or molecular)
IMAGE
Image of
the Earth
from Space
USED TO STUDY THINGS LIKE…
Entire Planet
Date ___________________
MEASURED IN …
Thousands of kilometers (km)
or miles
Portions of oceans, continents,
countries, provinces, states,
islands
Specific locations that can be
“pin-pointed” on a map
Kilometers (km) or miles
Sample of a mineral, a rock,
air, water, or an organism that
can be held in your hand
Features of a hand sample that
can only be seen with a hand
lens (magnifier) or microscope
Arrangements of the atoms or
molecules in a substance
Centimeters (cm), millimeters
(mm), or inches
What physical scales of observation
(above) are represented?
Meters (m) or feet
Fractions of millimeters,
micrometers (µm)
Nanometers (nm), angstroms
(A)
If you could view Earth 10,000 years
from now, from this same location
and scale, what features would be
the same? What features would be
different?
Same:
Different:
Same:
Satellite image
of Mt. Etna
Different:
Same:
Grand Canyon
photograph
Granite,
basalt,
peridotite
Different:
Same:
Different: