Theory Vs. Law Ted Ed Video

Which of the following best describes how theories relate to laws?

• Theories are laws that have not been proven true yet

• Theories attempt to explain why things happen and laws predict what will happen

• Laws attempt to explain why things happen and theories predict what will happen

• Laws are theories that have not been proven true yet

New data is found which goes against what scientists predicted should happen. Which of the following is NOT a potential result of the new research?

• A current theory is discarded because it cannot explain the new data

• A current theory is modified to better explain the new data

• A current law is charged to account for the new data

• Any of these are possible responses to new and unexpected data

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Which of the following might be an example of a theory?

• You develop an equation that successfully predicts the size of a crater given the size of the meteor

• You publish a paper analyzing the elements that make up a sample of a meteorite

• You develop an idea about why the frequency of meteor impacts varies in a consistent pattern over several decades of observation

• You design a spacecraft that can land on a meteor and drill into it to sample its make-up

What made Mendeleev's theory about the organization of matter in the periodic table so powerful?

• His theory predicted unknown elements that were later found

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  He was the first scientist to attempt to organize elements in a pattern

• His theory later 'grew up' into a law about elemental properties

• When he paired oxygen with potassium, it went 'OK'

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One can best compare the acceptance of a theory to:

• A foot race, where the first theory that comes up with an explanation wins

• A boxing match, where the winner has to be ready to fight the next opponent

• A lottery, where if you happen to be really lucky, you can win a prize

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  A cafeteria line, where scientists can just pick and chose parts they like best from each theory

What is the difference between a law about gravity and a theory about gravity?

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The following were once accepted theories but scientists eventually replaced them with better theories. Learn a bit more about one of them and find out why they didn’t make the cut! Write a five sentence paragraph about the one you chose.

a. Alchemy b. The heliocentric model c. Spontaneous generation d. The interstellar aether

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