400
What is a fact? Hypothesis? Theory? Law?
National Academy of Sciences Definitions:
Fact: an observation that has been repeatedly confirmed.
Hypothesis: a testable statement about the natural world that can be used to build more complex inferences and explanations. A proposed explanation
Law: a descriptive generalization about how some aspect of the natural world behaves under stated circumstances.
e.g., Mendel’s Law of Independent Assortment (does not explain why this happens, it is just a description). Laws of motion, gravity, thermodynamics
Theory: an overarching explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is well-substantiated and that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses.
Most of what is taught in this class is based on hypotheses that have been extensively tested and are generally accepted.