<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (May 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (May 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> Observation is the active acquisition of information from a primary source . In living beings, observation employs the senses . In science, observation can also involve the recording of data via the use of instruments . The term may also refer to any data collected during the scientific activity . Observations can be qualitative, that is, only the absence or presence of a property is noted, or quantitative if a numerical value is attached to the observed phenomenon by counting or measuring . </P> <P> The scientific method requires observations of nature to formulate and test hypotheses . It consists of these steps: </P>

Which of the following is a characteristic of scientific observation