Environmental Science — Fact, Theory, Hypothesis & Law

1. What did the narrator mean when he said “theory is not a four-letter word”?
The narrator meant that theory is not a bad word.

2. What is a fact?
Facts are observations about the world.

3. What is an observation?
An observation is something we notice about the world around us.

4. How are fact and observation similar? How are they different?
Facts and observations are similar because they both describe things we notice about the world. An observation is something we notice, while a fact is an observation about the world.

5. What is a hypothesis?
A hypothesis is a possible explanation for an observation that we can test.

6. What is a theory?
A theory is a way we know something works based on evidence and confirmed hypotheses.

7. How are hypothesis and theory similar? How are they different?
A hypothesis and a theory are similar because they explain how or why something happens and are testable. They are different because a hypothesis is a possible explanation, while a theory is supported by evidence and tested hypotheses.

8. How does a common-language non-science theory differ from an actual scientific theory?
A common-language theory is an idea or guess, while a scientific theory is supported by evidence and testing.

9. What is a law?
A law is a description of how something happens, usually expressed mathematically.

10. How are law and theory similar? How are they different?
A law and a theory are similar because they both describe how something works. They are different because a law describes how something happens, while a theory explains why it happens.

11. Why isn’t science ever done?
Science isn't ever done because it always changes, and there is always more to learn about how things work.