What's the difference?

Question

What's the difference between a Theory, a Law, and a Principle? I think I know but I just want to be sure

Answer 1

A theory is a set of laws connected together.
Laws are simple rules: if this, then that.
A principle is the logic behind the law: if this, then that, because of this and that.

Note that "theory" does not mean "unproven". The theory of relativity has been demonstrated again and again, and is fact.
If someone dismiss something as unproven because it is only a "theory", then send them back to school, they are not using the right definition.

Answer 2

Theory law and principle are different in a few ways. A principle is the way a law works (on an object fi) The Theory is the idea behind the principle. A law is a proved theory.

Law of gravity, the theory of gravity is about much more and may or may noy be disproved at any moment. The principal of Gravity is that everything pulls everything.

Answer 3

A theory is unproven. In other words a guess that fits the facts.
A Law is proven and works all the time everywhere, until the facts change.
A principle is A rule or law concerning the functioning of natural phenomena or mechanical processes.

But I prefer The collectivity of moral or ethical standards

Answer 4

I'm guessing from the category I found this question in you want the scientific definitions of theory, law, and principle, so here goes:

A principle is closest to a given statement (e.g., 2 + 2 = 4). It takes time -- decades, if not centuries -- for a theory to become a law, and it's not impossible to disprove a scientific theory (e.g. phlogiston theory), but they're both based on experience and testable, provable experiments.

Answer 5

A theory is something that has been hypothesized and then tested and proven. A law is something that is proven to be always the same, like me saying if i poke the bubble that you made with a pin, it will pop. A principle is like a law, well, actually i don't know the difference. Anyway, i think thats what they are.

Answer 6

You pose a great question. I will try my best to answer it (below is information I did on yahoo search)

Theory -
American Heritage® Dictionary: Description of theory
NOUN: 1. A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.
Additional references: Columbia Encyclopedia, Wikipedia

Law -
American Heritage® Dictionary: Description of law
NOUN: 1. A rule of conduct or procedure established by custom, agreement, or authority.
Additional references: Columbia Encyclopedia, Law.com law dictionary, Wikipedia

Principle -
American Heritage® Dictionary: Description of principle
NOUN: 1. A basic truth, law, or assumption: the principles of democracy.
Additional references: Wikipedia
Yahoo! Shortcut - About
WEB RESULTS

Answer 7

I think a theory is a notion that has yet to be fully proven, a law has been legitimately proven and doesnt change, principle is like law except it has more leeway, usually pertains to basics that lead to laws.

Answer 8

We are talking about Science.

Theory - an idea you think may be valid, and needs to be proved to be valid eg Special Theory of Relativity. See wikipedia ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory

Law - guide that cannot easily be changed, and reaction is predictable once followed eg Law of Thermodynamics.

Principle - a method of practice, when applied produces a predictable result - eg Archimedes Principle.

Answer 9

A theory is a text that could be demonstrated to be true or wrong, the law it's a interdiction, it can't be true or false, t's a rule that must be respected. A principal is like a theory only that it's demonstrations are necessary, because it's an idea that could be true in some actions and false in others, like Newton's principals in nature.

Answer 10

THEORY- the analysis of a set of facts in their relation to one another
LAW - rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority
PRINCIPLE - the laws or facts of nature underlying the working of an artificial device