Explain why the observation that the sun sets in the west could be called a scientific law.?

Question

the answer i had was..a scientific law states a repeated observation, but im pretty clueless when it comes to science

Answer 1

A scientific law is something that has been proven constantly through repeated experimentation or observation....meaning that it's something that always happens, and hasn't been proven wrong...ever. On Earth, the Sun always sets in the west, in technicality, no matter where you are, so it's something that has been proven by being observed since the dawn of man. Because of that, it can be called a scientific law.

The only reason why someone could argue that it isn't a scientific law is because in the extreme north or south, the sun appears to circle in the sky, instead of rise and set. Technically, the sun still rises and sets in such places, but it's arguable otherwise.

Answer 2

I don't think that really could be called a "scientific law". There are several terms often used in science like theory, law, principle, etc. These do have specific meanings in science, but they often get twisted when used by the general public.

I like this definition:

"Specifically, scientific laws must be simple, true, universal, and absolute. They represent the cornerstone of scientific discovery, because if a law ever did not apply, then all science based upon that law would collapse."

Is the saying that the sun sets in the west simple, true, universal, and absolute? Not really - going to the polar regions in the summer will show that's not true. Also, if you're standing on the pole, by definition you can't point westward - only north or south! It's also not always true on other planets, even if you allow for the polar exceptions, so we can't say it's universal.

It's not easy coming up with a scientific law. There really aren't that many of them as a result. Basic limited observations like sunsets (on earth!) don't often lead to them, and instead you have to really be able to generalize.

Answer 3

"A law generalizes a body of observations. At the time it is made, no exceptions have been found to a law. Scientific laws explain things, but they do not describe them. One way to tell a law and a theory apart is to ask if the description gives you a means to explain 'why'. If it doesn't, it's a law"

So in other words, just watching the sun can allow us to make a "law". We don't need to know why the sun does what it does to make a law about it.

It's like the law of gravity, we know that when you let go of an object it will drop. This can be called the law of gravity. There are a few "theories" about why such as Newton's and Einstein's theories.

Hope that helps.