what does the term "theory" mean to a scientist?

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noun

a coherent grouping of propositions formulated to explain a group of facts or phenomena in the natural earth and repeatedly confirmed through experiment or observation: the scientific theory of evolution.

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Words nearby scientific theory

scientific empiricism, scientific method, scientific proper noun, scientific notation, scientific socialism, scientific theory, scientism, scientist, scientistic, scientize, Scientology

Lexicon.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random Business firm, Inc. 2022

MORE Almost SCIENTIFIC THEORY

What is a scientific theory?

A scientific theory is a well-tested, wide caption of a natural phenomenon.

In everyday life, nosotros often utilize the word theory to mean a hypothesis or educated judge, but a theory in the context of science is non simply a judge—it is an explanation based on extensive and repeated experimentation. And it's not the job of theories to become facts—they use bachelor facts to make sense of a broad concept.

Scientific theories explain some of the most familiar and circuitous phenomena. A few of the best-known scientific theories are the theory of gravity, the theory of evolution, and the theory of relativity.

Scientific theory vs. police

If you always terminate to wonder why some fundamental process happens the way it does, it volition most likely exist a scientific theory that has the respond you lot seek. For example, if you lot have large questions about the move of the planets in our solar system, the theory of heliocentrism has big answers (spoiler alert: they orbit effectually the sunday). That's because a theory is not just a single answer but a consistent arrangement of many, many answers backed by supporting show.

In other words, a scientific theory is an in-depth, wide-sweeping explanation of a natural occurrence that can't exist proven wrong given our current scientific knowledge. So what'due south the divergence betwixt a scientific theory, a scientific hypothesis, and a scientific constabulary? A hypothesis, different a thoroughly tested scientific theory, is an educated guess that has not all the same been fully tested or subjected to enquiry. Hypotheses also tend to be very specific, whereas scientific theories are sweeping explanations that cover a wide range of questions well-nigh a phenomenon. The theory of evolution, for example, explains the incremental changes of all life forms on World over billions of years. A scientific police describes a scientific observation but doesn't endeavour to say why or how it happens, whereas a scientific theory explains exactly why or how it happens. For example, the police force of gravity says that two objects will exert their gravitational pull on each other. It doesn't say why the objects do this, however. The theory of gravity is the (much more circuitous) explanation as to exactly why and how these objects attract each other, encompassing all verified observations about such phenomena.

Scientific theories shape our understanding of topics in many dissimilar fields, from medicine to biology to astrophysics. A crucial attribute of scientific theories is that they can predict phenomena non yet directly observed—things that current engineering science tin't detect simply that the theory nevertheless asserts to exist. One case of this is germ theory , developed by scientists in the 1800s. Although they lacked our current medical technology, their experiments correctly predicted the being of viruses and leaner. That's more than just a proficient estimate!

Did you know … ?

The scientific method, which is central to developing scientific theories, was formalized past 17th-century philosopher Francis Bacon, who was inspired by the many scientists who came before him and developed their own scientific theories (even if they didn't call them that).

What are real-life examples of scientific theory?

This video breaks downward the difference between a theory and a police, with some existent-life examples:

"Physician-scientists bridge the gap between scientific theory and practical medicine. We need to boost their ranks." https://t.co/AAn0j3pBua

— WIRED (@WIRED) January iv, 2019

GZA Raps Lecture Nigh The Large Blindside Theory– non the TV show, the scientific theory http://t.co/hOaldKrWwZ

— allhiphopcom (@allhiphopcom) November 22, 2013

Quiz yourself!

A scientific theory is:

A. a random approximate that merely a handful of scientists think is truthful.
B. an undeniable fact of the universe that will exist truthful forever.
C. a well-tested prediction that is accepted in some countries but rejected in others.
D. a comprehensive explanation that uses facts repeatedly proven in many experiments and is accustomed by the vast majority of scientists.

learn more near scientific theory

How to utilise scientific theory in a judgement

• In April, for instance, a physicist tried to use scientific theories to explain warp speed fourth dimension travel.

• He does not offering biophilia as a coherent scientific theory.

• The electron and muon both accept properties precisely predicted by our current best scientific theory describing the subatomic quantum world, the standard model of particle physics.

• "It was a really overnice and practical article that draws on current scientific theories around the phenomena that so many are experiencing right now with the relentless pandemic," she said.

• The story of fluoridation reads like a postmodern legend, and the moral is articulate: a scientific discovery might seem like a benefaction.

• And Epstein continues to steer coin toward universities to advance scientific inquiry.

• Their three-day scientific outing was paid for by Epstein and was big success.

• But at the heart of this "Truther" conspiracy theory is the idea that "someone" wants to destroy Neb Cosby.

• Is information technology sort of evidence of the Gladwellian x,000 hours theory?

• In the twelvemonth of misery, of agony and suffering in full general he had endured, he had settled upon one theory.

• Dean Swift was indeed a misanthrope past theory, however he may have fabricated exception to private life.

• All that scientific bric-a-brac in the closet had far better be thrown abroad.

• The other is the new theory: that the Bible is the work of many men whom God had inspired to speak or write the truth.

• The evolution theory alleges that they were evolved, slowly, by natural processes out of previously existing matter.

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Source: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/scientific-theory

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