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This is a common question, and a common misconception. Unfortunately, most people are taught a hierarchy of certainty: hypothesis becomes theory and then, with more support, a theory becomes law. This is WRONG. Laws and theories serve different purposes and each have a unique nature.
The current consensus among philosophers of science seems to be this: * Laws are generalizations about what has happened, from which we can generalize about what we expect to happen. Laws describe. They pertain to observational data. The ability of the ancients to predict eclipses had nothing to do with whether they knew just how they happened; they had a law but not a theory. * Theories are explanations of observations (or of laws). The fact that we have a pretty good understanding of how stars explode doesn't necessarily mean we could predict the next supernova; we have a theory but not a law. William McComus lists gravity as a modern example of a well-established law for which no really satisfying theory is available. We can use the Law of Gravity, and even correct it for the effects of relativity (General Relativity), but we don't have any consensus notion of howit functions! Is it geometry or gravitons? Oddly enough, I searched the MadSci site and came up with a carefully- written wrong answer along the hierarchical lines you describe above. Embarassingly, several answers I summoned in my search fall into the misconceptions and traps enumerated by McComus! We shouldn't blame our experts; as you and I have seen from our own experience, scientists may have fuzzy notions about this sort of distinction because they don't normally have to make the distinction! A working scientists doesn't tend to worry about whether the First Law of Thermodynamics is an explanation, or the Theory of Evolution a statement of observed facts. They work, she uses them, everything's fine, right? But as McComus points out, the cut-and-dried (wrong) way this is usually presented can be pretty deadly, pedagogically. I am unable to recommend much specific for further reading, although McComus' bibliography looks to be a good place to start. You might try Richard Feynman's distinctly practical take on this problem, The Nature of Physical Law.
laws have been proven, theories are just ideas and have not been proven
What else can I help you with?
On the basis of gram reaction only can you distinguish between staphylococcus and streptococcus?
If the Gram stain is properly done, and based on color alone: - you CANNOT distinguish between Staphylococcus (positive/purple) and Streptococcus (positive/purple) - you CAN distinguish between Staphylococcus (positive/purple) and Neisseria (negative/red) - you CANNOT distinguish between Escherichia (negative/red) and Proteus (negative/red) - you CAN distinguish between Escherichia (negative/red) and Bacillus (positive/purple) Gram positives will stain purple because of the retention of the dye (crystal violet) in their thick peptidoglycan cell walls. On the other hand, Gram negatives have a thin cell wall and cannot retain the purple stain, so when they are counterstained, they will appear red
Distinguish between the cell theory and organism theory?
cell theory- the basic unit from which living organisms are built up consisting of a mass cytoplasm surrounded by a plasma membrane. the body of an individual plant or animal contains many different types of cell, each being specialized and adapted for a particular function. the process by which cells become specialized is why is called differentiation.
What is the minimum time interval between 2 sounds for the Human ear to distinguish them?
The minimum time interval between two sounds for the human ear to distinguish them is about 10-20 milliseconds. This is known as the temporal resolution of the auditory system.
What are the differences between epipremnum and pothos plants, and how can I distinguish between the two?
Epipremnum and pothos plants are often confused because they are very similar. The main difference is that Epipremnum has larger leaves with more defined variegation, while pothos has smaller leaves with less distinct variegation. To distinguish between the two, look at the size and pattern of the leaves - Epipremnum will have larger and more distinct variegation compared to pothos.
Evidence that supports the theory of evolution is called?
Fossil records, anatomical similarities, embryological development, and genetic similarities are all forms of evidence that support the theory of evolution. These pieces of evidence show the gradual changes in species over time and provide support for the idea that all organisms are related through common ancestry.
What question can you ask in order to distinguish between a theory and a law?
To distinguish between a theory and a law, you can ask, "Does this concept explain why phenomena occur, or does it simply describe what happens?" A theory provides an explanation based on underlying principles and can evolve with new evidence, while a law describes a consistent relationship observed in nature, typically expressed mathematically.
Distinguish between theory and law?
A theory is consistent and has known experiment results, but is often refined as new knowledge is found. A law is a mathematical relationship which has been found to be consistently true.
How would you distinguish scientific theory from a scientific law?
By not doing nothing
How would you distinguish a scientific theory from scientific law?
By not doing nothing
How would you distinguish a scientific theory from a scientific law?
By not doing nothing
Distinguish between concept and theory?
aariz wasim
What is the relationship between state and law?
Distinguish between a public law relationship and a private law relationship.
How wold you distinguish a scientific theory form a scientific law?
They're the same thing, but (usually) the "law" has an equation associated with it, while the "theory" is just a (verbal) discription.
How would you distinguish a scientific theory from a scientific law-?
A scientific theory is accepted as factual even though it hasn't been proven. A scientific law has been proven as fact.
What is the Difference between imperative theory and pure theory of law?
command of sovereign sanctioned by punishments is law by imperative theory and law as legal science of norms is by pure theory of law.
What is the difference between law an theory?
a law is something that is true and a theory is an opinion or thought that can be proven wrong.
What are the different between a scientists law and scientific theory?
law is based on fact theory is a concept/idea
