The word quantitative refers to the quantity of something. Quantitative studies, observations and research methods examine the tangible items such as amount, distance, duration and temperature. When people refer to things being quantitative, they are saying that the information is based on numbers and information that can be recreated.
The word qualitative refers to the quality of something. When people refer to qualitative, they are speaking more about intangible items such as smell, emotion and human observation. Qualitative conditions are much harder to recreate.
Qualitative data relates to descriptions of things like touch, sight, smell, taste and opinion. This type of data is used primarily to refer to the preliminary aspects of a study or experiment. Quantitative data relates to things like numbers, measurements, temperature or time. In an experiment or study, this data should be clear enough to allow another person to recreate the conditions exactly.
Qualitative research focuses on interviews and experienced-based reviews, and is largely based on the researcher's analysis. This type of research focuses on the text; its credibility is based on the researcher's credibility. Quantitative research is number-based investigation; it focuses on surveys and statistical tests. This type of research is more objective than qualitative because it focuses more on how particular variables affect a condition.