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An insightful explanation of the differences between scientific laws and theories, debunking common misconceptions. It clarifies that theories are not 'transitory laws' or 'hypotheses in waiting', but rather explanatory frameworks for a set of related phenomena, supported by a substantial body of evidence. Scientific laws, on the other hand, are statements of fact describing specific actions or sets of actions, generally accepted as true and universal.
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Voila a collection of observations about laws and theories. “Evolution by natural selection, the central concept of the life's work of Charles Darwin, is a theory. It's a theory about the origin of adaptation, complexity, and diversity among Earth's living creatures. If you are skeptical by nature, unfamiliar with the terminology of science, and unaware of the overwhelming evidence, you might even be tempted to say that it's "just" a theory. In the same sense, relativity as described by Albert Einstein is "just" a theory. The notion that Earth orbits around the sun rather than vice versa, offered by Copernicus in 1543, is a theory. Continental drift is a theory. The existence, structure, and dynamics of atoms? Atomic theory. Even electricity is a theoretical construct, involving electrons, which are tiny units of charged mass that no one has ever seen. Each of these theories is an explanation that has been confirmed to such a degree, by observation and experiment, that knowledgeable experts accept it as fact. That's what scientists mean when they talk about a theory: not a dreamy and unreliable speculation, but an explanatory statement that fits the evidence. They embrace such an explanation confidently but provisionally—taking it as their best available view of reality, at least until some severely conflicting data or some better explanation might come along.”^1 LAW
Note, too, that there are no “laws” when we’re discussing literature or cultural representations, so just pay attention to how the experts define “theory.” The difference between a law and a theory is interesting, but it’s a bit irrelevant when it comes to your assignment, so don’t worry about it.