General terms:
* Scientific questions: These are questions that can be answered through observation, experimentation, and analysis of the physical world.
* Empirical questions: These are questions that can be answered through observation and experience.
* Investigative questions: These are questions that seek to understand or explain a phenomenon.
More specific terms:
* Hypotheses: These are specific, testable predictions about the relationship between variables.
* Research questions: These are broader questions that guide a research study and may lead to the formulation of multiple hypotheses.
* Exploratory questions: These are open-ended questions that aim to gather information and generate new insights about a phenomenon.
* Descriptive questions: These questions aim to describe the characteristics or features of a phenomenon.
* Explanatory questions: These questions seek to understand the causes or reasons behind a phenomenon.
The specific term used will depend on the context and the nature of the question. For example, a question about the behavior of a specific type of bird might be called a research question, while a question about the relationship between temperature and plant growth might be called a hypothesis.
Ultimately, any question that is based on observations of the physical world can be considered a question about the physical world, regardless of the specific term used.