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What’s the difference between a scientific law and theory? - Contenido educativo

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Subido el 23 de septiembre de 2022 por Juan C. F.

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What is the difference between a theory and a law? 00:00:00
Chat with a friend about an established scientific theory, 00:00:08
and she might reply, 00:00:11
well, that's just a theory. 00:00:13
But a conversation about an established scientific law 00:00:15
rarely ends with, 00:00:19
well, that's just a law. 00:00:20
Why is that? 00:00:22
What is the difference between a theory and a law? 00:00:24
And is one better? 00:00:27
Scientific laws and theories have different jobs to do. 00:00:29
A scientific law predicts the results of certain initial conditions. 00:00:33
It might predict your unborn child's possible hair colors, 00:00:37
or how far a baseball travels when launched at a certain angle. 00:00:40
In contrast, a theory tries to provide the most logical explanation 00:00:45
about why things happen as they do. 00:00:50
A theory might invoke dominant and recessive genes 00:00:53
to explain how brown-haired parents ended up with a red-headed child, 00:00:56
or use gravity to shed light on the parabolic trajectory of a baseball. 00:01:01
In simplest terms, a law predicts what happens, 00:01:07
while a theory proposes why. 00:01:10
A theory will never grow up into a law, 00:01:13
though the development of one often triggers progress on the other. 00:01:16
In the 17th century, 00:01:20
Johannes Kepler theorized cosmic musical harmonies 00:01:22
to explain the nature of planetary orbits. 00:01:25
He developed three brilliant laws of planetary motion 00:01:29
while he was studying decades of precise astronomical data 00:01:33
in an effort to find support for his theory. 00:01:37
While his three laws are still in use today, 00:01:40
gravity replaced his theory of harmonics to explain the planet's motions. 00:01:43
How did Kepler get part of it wrong? 00:01:48
Well, we weren't handed a universal instruction manual. 00:01:51
Instead, we continually propose, challenge, revise, 00:01:54
or even replace our scientific ideas as a work in progress. 00:01:58
Laws usually resist change, 00:02:03
since they wouldn't have been adopted if they didn't fit the data, 00:02:05
though we occasionally revise laws in the face of new, unexpected information. 00:02:09
A theory's acceptance, however, is often gladiatorial. 00:02:14
Multiple theories may compete to supply the best explanation 00:02:19
of a new scientific discovery. 00:02:22
Upon further research, scientists tend to favor the theory 00:02:25
that can explain most of the data, 00:02:28
though there may still be gaps in our understanding. 00:02:31
Scientists also like when a new theory successfully predicts 00:02:34
previously unobserved phenomena, 00:02:38
like when Dmitri Mendeleev's theory about the periodic table 00:02:40
predicted several undiscovered elements. 00:02:44
The term scientific theory covers a broad swath. 00:02:48
Some theories are new ideas with little experimental evidence 00:02:51
that scientists eye with suspicion, or even ridicule. 00:02:55
Other theories, like those involving the Big Bang, evolution, 00:03:00
and climate change, 00:03:03
have endured years of experimental confirmation 00:03:05
before earning acceptance by the majority of the scientific community. 00:03:08
You would need to learn more about a specific explanation 00:03:13
before you'd know how well scientists perceive it. 00:03:16
The word theory alone doesn't tell you. 00:03:20
In full disclosure, the scientific community has bet on the wrong horse before. 00:03:23
Alchemy, the geocentric model, spontaneous generation, 00:03:28
and the interstellar ether are just a few of many theories 00:03:32
discarded in favor of better ones. 00:03:36
But even incorrect theories had their value. 00:03:39
Discredited alchemy was the birthplace of modern chemistry, 00:03:42
and medicine made great strides long before we understood 00:03:46
the roles of bacteria and viruses. 00:03:49
That said, better theories often lead to exciting new discoveries 00:03:53
that were unimaginable under the old way of thinking. 00:03:57
Nor should we assume all of our current scientific theories 00:04:01
will stand the test of time. 00:04:04
A single unexpected result is enough to challenge the status quo. 00:04:06
However, vulnerability to some potentially better explanation 00:04:11
doesn't weaken a current scientific theory. 00:04:15
Instead, it shields science from becoming unchallenged dogma. 00:04:18
A good scientific law is a finely tuned machine, 00:04:23
accomplishing its task brilliantly, 00:04:26
but ignorant of why it works as well as it does. 00:04:29
A good scientific theory is a bruised but unbowed fighter 00:04:32
who risks defeat if unable to overpower or adapt to the next challenger. 00:04:36
So different, science needs both laws and theories 00:04:42
to understand the whole picture. 00:04:45
So next time someone comments that it's just a theory, 00:04:48
challenge them to go nine rounds with the champ 00:04:51
and see if they can do any better. 00:04:54
Idioma/s:
en
Autor/es:
Matt Anticole
Subido por:
Juan C. F.
Licencia:
Dominio público
Visualizaciones:
11
Fecha:
23 de septiembre de 2022 - 14:08
Visibilidad:
Público
Enlace Relacionado:
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-s-the-difference-between-a-scientific-law-and-theory-matt-anticole
Centro:
IES CLARA CAMPOAMOR
Duración:
05′ 12″
Relación de aspecto:
1.78:1
Resolución:
1280x720 píxeles
Tamaño:
11.93 MBytes

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