Differentiate between a hypothesis, a guess, and a theory. Explain why it is important for nonscientists to understand how scientists use these terms when discussing something like global warming or evolution. Why might it be incorrect when a nonscientist dismisses a topic as being "just a theory"?
What will be an ideal response?
A hypothesis is an effort to explain phenomenon based on prior experience with the same or similar phenomena. It is often defined as an educated guess. The usual way to define a "guess" is the suggestion of an answer without prior experience. A theory is a structure intended to explain a series of phenomena, and is constructed from hypotheses that have been tested and not proven wrong. As such, a theory is based on substantial amounts of data.
You might also like to view...
What type of eruption is shown in this photograph?
A) Lava flow
B) Lava dome
C) Lava fountain
D) Pyroclastic column
E) Pyroclastic flow
One conservation method used to protect turtles from trawl nets uses ________.
A. sonar B. acoustic tagging devices C. turtle excluder devices (TEDs) D. gill nets
The reduction of ________ waves at the core-mantle boundary indicates that the outer core is mostly liquid.
A. S B. Rayleigh C. Love D. P E. Rossby
Direct investment includes managerial control of a foreign company; while portfolio investment does not
Indicate whether the statement is true or false