A scientific theory is not the end result of the scientific method; theories can be proven or rejected, just like hypotheses. Theories can be improved or modified as more information is gathered so that the accuracy of the prediction becomes greater over time. Theories are foundations for furthering scientific knowledge and for putting the information gathered to practical use.
Scientists use theories to develop inventions or find a cure for a disease. Some think that theories become laws, but theories and laws have separate and distinct roles in the scientific method.
A law is a description of an observed phenomenon in the natural world that hold true every time it is tested. It doesn't explain why something is true; it just states that it is true. A theory, on the other hand, explains observations that are gathered during the scientific process. So, while law and theory are part of the scientific process, they are two very different aspects, according to the National Science Teachers Association. A good example of the difference between a theory and a law is the case of Gregor Mendel.
Albert Einstein later discovered the theories of special and general relativity — that the force of gravity exists due to the bending of spacetime, which is caused by massive objects. This created a more complete theory of gravity. He just had a partial answer. In this case, scientists made observations, hypotheses, and testable predictions to figure out which theory was right. For example, one scientist might observe that the universe is expanding, hypothesize that it had a beginning, and test their hypothesis by doing the math.
Eventually, either one theory is overturned completely in this case, the Big Bang theory turned out to be correct , or the correct aspects of each theory are combined to form a new theory — one singular theory.
In many cases, one theory forms the foundation upon which other theories are built. Scientific laws are short, sweet, and always true. Laws are accepted as being universal and are the cornerstones of science. They must never be wrong that is why there are many theories and few laws. If a law were ever to be shown false, any science built on that law would also be wrong. A law is used to describe an action under certain circumstances.
A theory describes how and why something happens. For example, evolution by natural selection is a theory. It provides a host of descriptions for various mechanisms and describes the method by which evolution works. The equation is a law that describes the action of energy being converted to mass. Science is a way of making sense of the world, with internally-consistent methods and principles that are well described.
There is a progression from a hypothesis to a theory using testable, scientific laws. Only a few scientific facts are natural laws and many hypotheses are tested to generate a theory. Find out how scientific hypotheses, theories and laws describe the natural world. What is a hypothesis? A hypothesis is an idea or proposition that can be tested by observations or experiments, about the natural world. In order to be considered scientific, hypotheses are subject to scientific evaluation and must be falsifiable, which means that they are worded in such a way that they can be proven to be incorrect.
Example: When Gregor Mendel in studied the pattern of single trait inheritance of garden peas he formed a hypothesis on the manner of how these traits were inherited. The hypothesis he formed based on his observations included the following:. To scientists, a theory is a coherent explanation for a large number of facts and observations about the natural world. In popular use, a theory is often assumed to imply mere speculation, but in science, something is not called a theory until it has been confirmed over many independent experiments.
Theories are more certain than hypotheses, but less certain than laws. The procedures and processes for testing a theory are well-defined within each scientific discipline. Example: Between and Mendel cultivated and tested some 28, pea plants which brought forth two theories of how character traits are inherited.
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