Chapter 1.2, Problem 6MI

Summary Introduction

To analyze:

The requirements for a proposed explanation to become accepted as a theory.

Introduction:

All scientists and biologists follow the same basic steps to do research and answer queries. These are called scientific methods. They conduct experiments, collect data, make hypothesis and gather evidences.

Answer to Problem 6MI

A proposed explanation can become a theory only when it is supported by enough evidences from many observations and experiments over a period of time.

Explanation of Solution

Theory is an explanation of a natural phenomenon or event that is supported by a large number of scientific evidences obtained from various investigations and observations.

Scientists gather information from various experiments. This informationis called data. They then analyze the data and decide if the data supports the hypothesis. The experiments are conducted over and over again to gather more data. They also compare the results of their experiments with the results of other studies. The results are also published in science journals so that the scientists can compare different results. After many repeated experiments when the results are similar, the hypothesis gets support. When a hypothesis is supported by many investigations and observations it becomes a theory.