Theory or Law

Joe tells Gabby his theory about why sea turtles nest on the beach instead of in the ocean. He says, “The turtle eggs would sink to the bottom of the ocean, and the baby turtle would drown. I know this because my uncle is a fisherman, and he told me this information. Gabby tells Joe that his theory is not scientific. Why does Joe’s idea not meet the requirements to be a scientific theory?

• Joe’s idea is already a scientific law.

• Joe’s idea is not supported by scientific evidence.

• Joe’s idea is a good guess that can be tested by experiments.

• Joe and his uncle are not scientists.

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NGSS.HS-LS4-1

In 1897, Joseph Thomson discovered that atoms contained electrons. He proposed a change in the atomic theory of that time, and the theory was modified because of his discovery. Since Thomson’s discovery, atomic theory has been further modified. What is the best explanation for why scientific theories are modified?

• Theories more than ten years old are usually out of date.

• Scientists want to prove that the work of other scientists is wrong.

• New evidence that supports a change prompts scientists to modify earlier theories.

• So much information is available today that it is harder to focus research and disprove theories.

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NGSS.HS-PS1-2

The law of universal gravitation states that both mass and distance of objects affect the gravitational force between them. Gravitational force increases as the mass of the objects increase. Gravitational force decreases as distance between the objects increases. Why are these statements considered scientific law, and not scientific theory?

• The statements tells what happens, and not why it happens.

• The statements involve mass and distance measurements.

• The statements explain the attractive force between two objects.

• The statements predict what will happen under certain conditions.

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NGSS.HS-PS2-4

Lilly was trying to explain to her friend the difference between a theory and a law in science. She used the theory of plate tectonics and the law of superposition as examples. Lilli explained the difference by using non-scientific language. Which statement could Lilly use to correctly describe the difference between a theory and a law in science?

• A theory describes a natural event, while a law explains it.

• A theory explains a natural event, while a law predicts it.

• A theory explains a natural event, while a law describes it.

• A theory predicts a natural event, while a law explains it.

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.

Scientific theories do not change once they have been written down.

• True
• False

Which of these can change when new evidence is presented?

• theory

• law

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NGSS.HS-LS4-1

Which of these explain how a natural phenomenon works or happens?

• theory

• law

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Which of these describes a natural phenomenon or relationship that always occurs under specific conditions

• theory

• law

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NGSS.HS-PS2-4

Which of these can be represented mathematically and provide no explanation why a phenomenon occurs?

• theory

• law

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