Observations vs Inferences
Inference An attempt to explain your observations. The “likely” reason.
Tracks like these are common in parts of New England and in the southwestern United States. What do you OBSERVE? What can you INFER?
Now what do you think?
Infer what happened based on your observations
Inferences are made everyday. false inferences
Observation observations
How many legs does the elephant have?
What do you see?
What do you see? Hint: There are 3 images. An old lady A young woman A man with a big brown mustache
They are the SAME length! Take a very close look at the 2 vertical lines. Is one line is longer than the other? They are the SAME length!
Which line is longer?
Do you see the face on Earth? How about now?
Scientific Law vs. ScientificTheory theory bite sized A law states what happens. Law of Gravity A theory tries to explain why or how something happens. You can distinguish between a theory and a law by asking the question: Is the proposal measurable? Yes, the statement is a law. No, it is a theory. Atomic Theory Collision Theory of Reactions Global Warming
Laws A generalization, principle or relationship. (Ex.Law of Gravity, Law of planetary motion) Are generally considered to be discovered Relate cause and effect relationships broadly Laws of nature never change Specifically, scientific laws must be simple, true, universal, and absolute
Theory Serves as a framework to explain a set of experiments Ex. Big Bang Theory Are generally considered to be invented rather than discovered Atomic Theory
Why Dinosaurs Disappeared A theory… Sun blocked Dinosaurs Earth Meteor Dust Cloud Evidence… Ice Age - Glaciers RIP Meteor Crater Moon is formed
Difference The biggest difference between a law and a theory is that a theory is much more complex and dynamic. A law describes a single action, whereas a theory explains an entire group of related phenomena
How are observations and inferences related to Laws and theories?