Scientific Ideas

Opinions, Facts, Laws, Theories, and Hypotheses

Scientific Ideas
Facts
Laws
Theories
Hypothesis
Opinions
What are the differences between these five types of
scientific ideas? Discuss your thoughts with your table partner
for 2 minutes:

Opinions
Often Biased
Not scientifically tested
Least Scientific
Not backed by evidence
THEORY
Biggest Ideas in Science
Tie together many Facts, Observations, and Laws
Predictive
Not a Hypothesis
Hypothesis
Must be Tested
Educated Guess based on current knowledge
Possible Answer to a Scientific Questions
Not a "shot in the dark"
FACTS
Serve as the Building Blocks of Other Ideas
FACTS
Can Change Due to New Observations
FACTS
Verified by more than one Person/Group
Statements of Truth in ALL KNOWN SITUATIONS
Facts
Laws
Theories
Hypothesis
Opinions
Laws
Statements of what will happen in a specific situation
Based on many observations and tested hypotheses
Ex. 
Newton's Laws of Motion
Laws of Universal Gravitation