What everyone should understand about...Types of Scientific Knowledge Facts Facts are absolute truths based on direct observation. Facts do not require reasoning or explanations. Example facts: Water vapor is a colorless, odorless gas. A sample of water has a temperature of 20 °C. The molar mass of water is 18.02 g/mol. Hypotheses Hypotheses provide a narrow answer to a scientific question. Hypotheses do not provide an explanation to the phenomenon. They merely describe it. They provide an answer to the “what” aspect of the question. Example question: What is the relationship between the temperature and volume of a gas? Resulting hypothesis: The temperature of a gas is directly proportional to its volume. Predictions Predictions propose a specific outcome based on the hypothesis. Predictions are relevant to the immediate investigation. Using the previous example: The temperature of a gas is directly proportional to its volume. Example prediction: If I raise the temperature of a gas, it will expand. Laws Laws generalize specific, quantifiable phenomena that consistently occur under specific circumstances. Laws and principles are synonymous. They provide an answer to the “how” aspect of the question. Using the previous example: The temperature of a gas is directly proportional to its volume. Example law: V1/T1 = V2/T2 Theories Theories generalize a set of related hypotheses and laws to provide concise explanations for phenomena. Theories generally provide a mechanism that explains how a set of phenomena are related. They provide an answer to the “why” aspect of the question. Using the previous example: The temperature of a gas is directly proportional to its volume. Example theory: Kinetic Molecular Theory explains why gases behave as described by Charles’s, Boyle’s, Guy-Lussac’s Laws (among others). The tenants of KMT explain how gases respond at the particle level.
Posted on: Thu, 15 May 2014 18:21:31 +0000
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