Scientific Laws, Theories, and Hypotheses

Theory or Law? _________ of Thermodynamics: Matter can never be created or destroyed. Tells what happens with matter.

• Theory

• Law

Evolution is the widely held notion that all life is related and has descended from a common ancestor: the birds and the bananas, the fishes and the flowers
 -- all related That is, complex creatures evolve from more simplistic ancestors naturally over time.

• Fact
• Theory
• Law

A testable statement about the natural world that can be used to build more complex inferences and explanations. To be a hypothesis, a statement must contain a possible explanation.

• Fact
• Theory
• Law
• Hypothesis

In science, a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses.

• Fact
• Theory
• Law
• Hypothesis

You observe that, upon waking up each morning, your trashcan is overturned and trash is spread around the yard. You propose that raccoons are responsible. Is this fact, a law, a theory, or a hypothesis?

• Fact
• Law
• Theory
• Hypothesis

Laws tells us that it happens but doesn’t describe how or why.

• True
• False

Scientific theories are based on

• general assumptions of how systems work.
• mathematical principles that can be proven true.
• large amounts of data collected over time.
• observations from within only one scientific discipline.

Scientists all over the world are sure that all matter is made of atoms.  All of their investigations point to the fact that this is true.  Unfortunately, there is no way to know 100% for sure if atoms are real.  This means that the idea of atoms is a _________.

• question
• hypothesis
• theory
• law

Can you disprove a hypothesis in a single experiment?

• yes

• no

Can you disprove a scientific theory based on a single experiment?

• Yes

• No