Hypothesis, Theory and Law
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Hypothesis, Theory and Law
Hypothesis, Theory and Law
1. Astronomy is unlike many other sciences because many of the topics (units) deal heavily in theory. This is because many of the topics have yet to be studied directly by man.
Examples:
● Stars
● Black holes
● Worm holes
● Center of the Earth
Hypothesis, Theory and Law
2. During the course of this class, one may wonder, “How do we know this?” or become skeptical of some topics taught, such as the Big Bang Theory. To understand how the theories introduced in this class became theories, we must know the differences between a hypothesis, theory and law.
3. Hypothesis
A hypothesis is an educated guess, based on observations. Usually, a hypothesis can be supported or refutedthrough experimentation or more observation. A hypothesis is a testable idea. Scientists do not set out to “prove” hypotheses, but to test them
Examples
● 4 out of 5 dentists prefer sugarless gum
●Mom won’t care if I break curfew
●Ms. Miller won’t care if I am late
4. Theory
A scientific theory summarizes a hypothesis or group of hypotheses that have been supported with repeated testing over time. A theory is valid as long as there is no evidence to dispute it. Therefore, theories can be disproven. Basically, if evidence accumulates to support a hypothesis, then the hypothesis can become accepted as a good explanation of a phenomenon. One definition of a theory is to say it's an accepted hypothesis. Theories may be supported, rejected, or modified, based on new evidence.
Examples
● Atomic Theory
● Cell Theory
● Evolution
● Big Bang Theory
● Chaos Theory
Law
A law generalizes a body of observations. At the time it is made, no exceptions have been found to a law. Scientific laws explain things, but they do not describe them. One way to tell a law and a theory apart is to ask if the description gives you a means to explain ‘why. In addition, Laws are very rarely challenged.
Example
● Law of Conservation of Mass
● Laws of Motion
● Kepler’s Laws
● Conservation of energy
Related Documents
