fudge
Notes on Scientific Laws, Theories and Hypotheses
A very common mistake of non-scientists and, believe it or not, some scientists, is to fail to correctly distinguish between scientific laws, theories and hypotheses. The difference is not just semantics. Conceptually, a scientific law is something very different from a theory. Following are some definitions, followed by some explanation and a few examples.
Scientific Law A scientific law is an empirical (ie based on experimental evidence) statement of great generality of something which seems to always be true.
Scientific Hypothesis A scientific hypothesis is a tentative explanation of an observation or pattern which has been observed in nature.
Scientific Theory A scientific theory is an explanation of a natural phenomenon with a broad range of significance and application.
The chief distinction between a scientific law, on the one hand, and a theory or hypothesis on another, is that a law is a generalization. It is NOT an explanation. It is the result of induction. It is an empirical (ie based on observation alone) statement of something which always appears to be true.
Hypotheses and theories, on the other hand, are an attempt to explain what has been observed. Often scientists form theories to explain laws.
There are two important distinctions between scientific hypotheses and theories. Remember that these two concepts are fairly similar to one another, while a law is something very different. Theories and hypotheses are both explanations, but a theory is different, in general, in that;
1. It has much more experimental support and
2. It is a much broader statement, with a wide variety of potential applications than a hypothesis. Hypotheses are more tentative, but even more importantly, they apply to a rather specific and narrow set of circumstances, while a theory applies to a great number of problems.
The distinction is best explained by using
A very common mistake of non-scientists and, believe it or not, some scientists, is to fail to correctly distinguish between scientific laws, theories and hypotheses. The difference is not just semantics. Conceptually, a scientific law is something very different from a theory. Following are some definitions, followed by some explanation and a few examples.
Scientific Law A scientific law is an empirical (ie based on experimental evidence) statement of great generality of something which seems to always be true.
Scientific Hypothesis A scientific hypothesis is a tentative explanation of an observation or pattern which has been observed in nature.
Scientific Theory A scientific theory is an explanation of a natural phenomenon with a broad range of significance and application.
The chief distinction between a scientific law, on the one hand, and a theory or hypothesis on another, is that a law is a generalization. It is NOT an explanation. It is the result of induction. It is an empirical (ie based on observation alone) statement of something which always appears to be true.
Hypotheses and theories, on the other hand, are an attempt to explain what has been observed. Often scientists form theories to explain laws.
There are two important distinctions between scientific hypotheses and theories. Remember that these two concepts are fairly similar to one another, while a law is something very different. Theories and hypotheses are both explanations, but a theory is different, in general, in that;
1. It has much more experimental support and
2. It is a much broader statement, with a wide variety of potential applications than a hypothesis. Hypotheses are more tentative, but even more importantly, they apply to a rather specific and narrow set of circumstances, while a theory applies to a great number of problems.
The distinction is best explained by using