Scientific Theories and Laws
Brian Blake
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Printed: September 9, 2013
AUTHOR
Brian Blake
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C ONCEPT
Concept 1. Scientific Theories and Laws
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Scientific Theories and
Laws
Lesson Objectives
• Be able to describe the process that leads to scientific laws and theories
• Differentiate between scientific laws and theories
• Identify the limitations of scientific theories
Scientific Theories
What causes disease?
Today most people realize that microorganisms, such as bacteria or viruses, are the cause of disease. This concept
is known as the germ theory of disease, one of the few scientific theories in the field of the life sciences. Although it
seems obvious now, people did not always understand the cause of disease. How does a theory such as this become
established?
Scientific Evidence and Theories
• One goal of a scientist is to find answers to scientific questions. To do this, scientists first develop a hypothesis,
which is a proposed explanation that tries to explain an observation.
• To collect evidence to support (or disprove) their hypothesis, scientists must do experiments.
• Evidence is a direct, physical observation of something or a process over time, usually something measurable
or "quantifiable." The data resulting from an experiment is evidence.
For example, an apple falling to the ground is evidence in support of the law of gravity. A bear skeleton in the woods
would be evidence of the presence of bears.
Looking at the image below might be confusing at first because this evidence seems to defy the law of gravity (Figure
below). Of course water cannot be poured out of bottle and flow upward. The law of gravity is a scientific law, which
is a statement describing what always happens under certain conditions in nature.
If many experiments are performed, and lots of evidence is collected in support of a general hypothesis, a scientific
theory can be developed. Scientific theories are well-established explanations of evidence. Theories are usually
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FIGURE 1.1
tested and confirmed by many different people. Scientific theories usually have a lot of evidence in support of the
theory, and no evidence disproving the theory. Scientific theories produce information that helps us understand
our world. Many scientific theories would be impossible to prove and therefore are differentiated from scientific
laws. Scientific laws generally describe what happens while scientific theories attempt to explain why something
happens. For example, matter generally behaves in a certain manner and the idea that matter is made up of atoms
helps explain that behavior. The idea that matter is made up of atoms is a scientific theory called the atomic theory.
Scientists accept this theory as a fundamental principle of basic science. However, when scientists find new evidence,
they can change their theories. In addition to the germ theory of disease and atomic theory, other scientific theories
are the cell theory, the theory of evolution, and the Big Bang theory.
EXTENSION
Use the resource below to answer the questions that follow.
Scientific Theories at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M1hxGj5bMg (4:43)
1. What happens to scientific theories that do not match the natural world?
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Concept 1. Scientific Theories and Laws
2. In science, what is meant by a fact, a hypothesis, a law, and a theory?
3. How do scientists’ views of facts, hypotheses, laws, and theories differ from the everyday use of these words?
Points to Ponder
1. How is a scientific law different than a scientific theory?
2. How is a scientific theory established?
References
1. . . CC BY-NC-SA
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