What is the difference between discoverable and visible?

Answer 1

discoverable means you can "find" something even if it is not readily visible, and visible means you see something that is very apparent. So its a big difference between the two.

As an example:

The gas held within Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania is not visible, and was not discoverable until someone hypothesized that certain rock layers might hold reserves of natural gas. The presence of the gas is not visible in any context; the only proof it exists is when natural gas comes to the surface via pipes after the rocks are fractured using specialized new technology called 'fracking'.

Similarly in the 1800s, oil under the earth's surface was not visible and its only presence seen by the naked eye were random pools of oil which Native American Indians used by scraping off the top of the small pools. At one time, this petroleum oil was used to treat a variety of medical conditions. But no one had the ability to extract the oil from under the surface until men used the basics of water-well drilling to design the first oil derrick drill (see Drake's Oil Derrick in Pennsylvania). Once men began drilling and hit an oil pocket, it was carried to the surface via pipes and collected, at which point the oil was visible and measurable.

Electrical current was visible to inventors, primarily through lightning. But the process to make an electric light had to go through a discovery process -- discoverable-- before citizens could benefit from the electric light/bulb. But, even now, the various components that make electricity work are largely invisible to everyday citizens-- only things like electrical cords, electrical outlets, lamps, and bulbs are visible, but what makes each work is mostly hidden from direct viewing.

In Law, 'discovery' relates to sharing known evidence. Evidence may be something visible-- a murder weapon, for example-- while other evidence may or may not be discoverable--for example, the motive behind a murder.

The bridge between what is visible (known, seen) and what is discoverable (unknown, unseen) is often an "hypothesis". Whether it's a Prosecuting Attorney trying to build a logical case, or a scientist trying to prove a logical outcome, both use hypothesis (thinking about and choosing a specific idea) to try to make something discoverable and / or visible. For example, a Prosecuting Attorney knows that phone records can often prove a suspect's prior where aouts; he hypothesizes that he can prove a defendant is guilty by reviewing the phone records. Einstein hypothesized over many ideas that ended up being his inventions.