Chapter 2, Problem 12STP

Summary Introduction

To distinguish:

Between everyday use of the term theory and its true scientific meaning.

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. Theory is a term commonly used in everyday life but it is used differently by scientists.

Answer to Problem 12STP

In everyday use, the term theory is just used for an idea or to explain something. It is not supported by evidences.

In scientific terms, a theory is a summary of an idea that brings together many observations and experiments in science.

Explanation of Solution

In everyday use, the term theory is simply a guess or an idea about something without any supporting evidence. It can be just a speculation or hunch about something. There are no evidences or explanation to support it.

In science, the term theory has just an opposite meaning. Scientists gather information from various experiments. They analyze the data from 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.

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. In biology, there are two most important theories; cell theory and theory of evolution.