Would you characterize Plate Tectonics as a hypothesis, a theory, or a fact? Why?

Question

I really need a good answer.

Answer 1

It is a theory. A scientific theory is a scientific construct that assembles a wide variety of scientific facts to explain a natural phenomenon or a collection of related natural phenomena. One bad side-effect of the evolution debate is that it has created a perception of theory vs. fact as opposites. That's not the case, a theory is a much larger entity than a fact. A theory is composed of many facts, linked together with ideas. When plate tectonics was devised in the late 1960s, it took scientific observations ("facts") from many different regions worldwide, and from numerous different disciplines within the Earth Sciences. Then Earth Scientists put these observations together into a theory that ultimately explained almost all aspects of the Earth's behaviour! But it's important to note that before it was a theory, plate tectonics was a hypothesis. This can be thought of as a "idea" that a scientist has, that they then set out to test using scientific observations. The "idea" can already be backed up by some facts, or it can be pure conjecture! Once sufficient evidence had been collected for the plate tectonic hypothesis, it "graduated" to the level of a theory, and is currently accepted by most Earth Scientists as a valid explanation for the behaviour of the Earth.

Answer 2

The short answer is all three.

Hypothesis and theory both mean a formula derived by inference from scientific data that explains known facts of how nature operates. To call something a hypothesis implies insufficient evidence to provide more than a tentative explanation, for example a hypothesis explaining why earthquakes occur. Theory implies a greater range of evidence and greater likelihood of truth, the theory of plate tectonics.

When the idea of plate tectonics was advanced, it was really a hypothesis: If the surface of the earth is made up of plates (actually slabs) of distinct bodies of earth, and if these bodies of earth move around on a slippery surface due to many things, like tides, volcanic action, and so on, then we can explain earthquakes and other "facts" (phenomena of nature)...On the basis of this hypothesis and many related hypotheses, a search was made to find the evidence for this idea. One piece of evidence is to find where two "plates" collide and see what happens--the Himalayas are the result of the collision of plates pushing up against each other; similarly at the bottom of the ocean, we find many places where one plate is slipping under another (or one plate is slipping on top of another)...As more and more evidence piled up, we have more of a "theory" than a hypothesis. The theory is a set of ideas that explain a lot of known facts about the surface of the earth (the top 20 miles or so).

Answer 3

I would first characterize what the definitions of hypothesis, theory and fact are. Facts are indisputable truths obtained by our senses. Hypotheses are explanations based on facts. Theories are rigorous arguments based on facts. By this definition, Plate Tectonics is a theory.

Answer 4

Presently, it's a theory. After a hypothesis has been tested and works, it becomes a theory. It takes much more testing to become fact. It hasn't been tested enough yet, but is commonly believed to be true.

Answer 5

Theory, there is far too much evidence for it to be a hypothesis, but it can probably never be proven as a fact.

Answer 6

Modern sattelite technology can measure the exact rate of the movement of continents, and they're definitely moving.

Answer 7

It's theory because it is not an observable or provable phenomenon. Nor is it reproducible in the lab.

Answer 8

while i'm way open minded to questioning anything & everything (don't get me started on Einstein), but thats one that at least in my mind, i'll file under 'facts'. there's just too much supporting evidence, & it just makes sense.

Answer 9

fact, geologists can match rocks that are identical to different continents from where they broke apart.