nature is orderly with this assumption we can explain phenomenon using scientific theories
TRANSCRIPT
THEORY,LAW,FACT
WHAT IS THE BASIC
ASSUMPTION OF SCIENCE?
Nature is OrderlyWith this assumption we can explain
phenomenon using scientific theories
SP
EC
UL
AT
ION
A sp
ecu
latio
n is a
gen
era
l sta
tem
en
t ab
ou
t natu
re
that is co
nstru
cted
with
ou
t fa
ct (or e
nou
gh
fact)
Scie
ntifi
c specu
latio
n is a
le
gitim
ate
part o
f the
scien
tific p
roce
ss that
develo
ps e
arly
ideas th
at
are
not y
et ro
bu
st en
ou
gh
to b
e a
testa
ble
, fa
lsifiab
le o
r worth
y o
f b
ein
g a
more
form
al
"hyp
oth
esis
".
QU
ES
TIO
NS
:
Wh
at m
ake
s up
a th
eory
?
Wh
at is S
pecu
latio
n?
Wh
at is th
e d
iffere
nce
betw
een
a scie
ntifi
c law
an
d a
scien
tific
fact?
Wh
at th
eorie
s/facts/la
ws d
o y
ou
kn
ow
?
SC
IEN
TIF
IC
FAC
T
Am
azin
g fa
cts
: Did
you
kn
ow
that
there
are
206 b
on
es in
the a
du
lt h
um
an
bod
y a
nd
there
are
300 in
ch
ildre
n (a
s th
ey g
row
som
e o
f the
bon
es fu
se to
geth
er).
Th
e lo
ng
est liv
ing
cells
in th
e b
od
y
are
bra
in c
ells
wh
ich
can
live a
n
en
tire life
time.
Th
e c
osm
os c
on
tain
s a
pp
roxim
ate
ly
50,0
00,0
00,0
00 g
ala
xie
s.
Th
ere
are
betw
een
100,0
00,0
00,0
00
an
d 1
,000,0
00
,000,0
00 s
tars
in a
n
orm
al g
ala
xy.
Hyd
rofl
uoric
acid
will d
issolv
e g
lass
A fact is an objective,verifiable observation.It is the same everywhere.It can and has been,verified many times.
It is a sta
tem
en
t inte
nd
ed
to
exp
lain
a p
hen
om
en
on
.
How
certa
in is a
theory
?
Man
y p
eop
le sa
y it’s a
gu
ess o
r sp
ecu
latio
n, w
hich
is how
sta
nd
ard
En
glish
use
s the w
ord
Th
eory
Wh
en
a scie
ntist sp
eaks a
bou
t a
theory
it mean
s som
eth
ing
co
mp
lete
ly d
iffere
nt:
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE THEORY?
Scien
tific Th
eory:
An
ex
pla
na
tion
of h
ow
an
d w
hy
a
na
tura
l ph
en
om
en
on
be
ha
ve
s th
e
wa
y it d
oe
s th
at is
co
nfirm
ed
by
all
av
aila
ble
ev
ide
nc
e s
uc
h th
at it
co
uld
be
us
ed
to p
red
ict n
ew
,as
y
et u
no
bs
erv
ed
ph
en
om
en
a
SC
IEN
TIF
IC
TH
EO
RY
Exam
ple
s o
f Scie
ntifi
c T
heory
:
Th
e th
eory
of re
lativ
ity: th
at
the la
ws o
f ph
ysics a
re th
e sa
me
for a
ll ob
serv
ers
Th
e th
eory
of e
volu
tion
by
natu
ral s
ele
ctio
n: th
at th
e
ob
serv
ed
chan
ges in
specie
s occu
r du
e to
non
-ran
dom
se
lectio
n o
f well a
dap
ted
sp
ecim
en
s over le
ss well
ad
ap
ted
specim
en
s
Th
e B
ig B
an
g T
heory
:that th
e
un
iverse
beg
an
as a
n in
fin
itely
sm
all p
oin
t that u
nd
erw
en
t exp
an
sion
to fo
rm th
e u
niv
erse
as w
e k
now
it tod
ay.
AR
E T
HE
FO
LL
OW
ING
T
HE
OR
IES
OR
FAC
TS
?
Som
e illn
esse
s are
cau
sed b
y
micro
scopic o
rganism
s. The g
erm
theory
of illn
ess.
That th
e p
lanets in
our so
lar sy
stem
orb
it aro
und th
e su
n.
The h
elio
centric so
lar sy
stem
.
That th
e E
arth
is round, a
nd n
ot fl
at, o
r so
me o
ther sh
ape.
The ro
und e
arth
theory
That a
ll matte
r is made u
p o
f ato
ms.
The a
tom
ic theory
of m
atte
r
Wh
y a
re th
ese “
facts
” s
till con
sid
ere
d th
eorie
s?
Th
ey a
re in
deed
facts,
bu
t they still fi
t into
th
e d
efin
ition
of
theory
beca
use
they
inte
nd
to
exp
lain
HO
W
DO
Y
OU
F
OR
M A
T
HE
OR
Y?
TH
EO
RYF
ACT
Most th
eorie
s can
not e
ver
be tra
nsfo
rmed
into
fact.
A th
eory
is a
g
en
era
l sta
tem
en
t in
ten
ded
to
exp
lain
facts
EV
OL
UT
IO
NTh
e th
eory
of e
volu
tion
by
natu
ral s
ele
ctio
n
Evolu
tion
fact
Scie
ntists co
nsid
ere
d e
volu
tion
a
fact b
efo
re D
arw
in p
rop
ose
d h
is th
eory
of n
atu
ral s
ele
ctio
n.
SC
IEN
TIF
IC
LA
W
A law is similar to a theory in that it can be used to make predictions, but is less general and tends to be more mathematical in nature.
EX
AM
PL
ES
OF
S
CIE
NT
IFI
C
LA
WS
: New
ton
’s Law
s of m
otio
n:
state
men
ts ab
ou
t how
larg
e
ob
jects m
ad
e o
f ato
ms b
eh
ave
wh
en
movin
g a
t low
speed
s re
lativ
e to
each
oth
er.
Th
e La
ws o
f Th
erm
od
yn
am
ics: sta
tem
en
ts ab
ou
t en
trop
y,
tem
pera
ture
, an
d th
erm
al
eq
uilib
rium
.
Law
of G
ravity
: Every
particle
attra
cts every
oth
er p
article
with
a fo
rce th
at is p
rop
ortio
nal to
th
e p
rod
uct o
f their m
asse
s an
d
inverse
ly p
rop
ortio
nal to
the
dista
nce
betw
een
them
.
LA
WS
MA
Y B
E P
RO
VE
N
FAL
SE
, SO
WH
Y D
O W
E
KE
EP
TH
EM
?
New
ton
’s law
s of m
otio
n b
reak
dow
n w
hen
the o
bje
cts are
very
sm
all o
r movin
g v
ery
fast
rela
tive to
oth
er o
bje
cts. Wh
y
do w
e ke
ep
them
?B
eca
use
in e
very
day w
orld
situ
atio
ns th
ey a
re v
ery
good
at
pre
dictin
g. E
ng
ineers u
se th
em
fo
r desig
nin
g sky
scrap
ers a
nd
tra
vel th
rou
gh
space
is possib
le
beca
use
of th
em
even
thou
gh
th
ey a
re n
ot a
lways co
rrect.
Rem
em
ber a
lso th
at m
ost la
ws
have n
ever b
een
pro
ven
to
be fa
lse!
SU
MM
AR
Y:
A th
eory
is con
structe
d m
ost o
f all fro
m fa
cts.
Th
eorie
s con
tain
law
s, bu
t law
s m
ean
very
little w
ithou
t facts.
Th
eorie
s also
con
tain
log
ical
infe
ren
ces th
at ta
lk ab
ou
t how
w
e kn
ow
wh
at w
e kn
ow
.
Accu
mu
latin
g a
ll of th
ese
, the
scien
tist make
s a g
en
era
l sta
tem
en
t to e
xp
lain
all th
e
evid
en
ce. O
ther scie
ntists
reaffi
rm th
e fa
cts an
d u
se th
e
theory
to m
ake
pre
dictio
ns a
nd
ob
tain
new
facts.