When and how does a theory become fact?

Question

For example, The Theory of Relativity. When and how will it become a fact?

Answer 1

It only becomes fact when it is 100% proven.

Relativity will probably never be 100% proven so may never become FACT

Answer 2

I never thought about this while I was actually studying science in college, but when I taught science I got asked this all the time.

I look it up every once in a while and get all different answers. The best answer I can get is that the difference between a scientific law and a scientific theory is pretty arbitraty.

Relativity is called a theory but we have tested the equations of special relativity such as time dialation.

Evolution is called a theory but it hasn't been proven. There's a lot of evidence to support it but to date no one has actually seen one species undergo the spontaneous mutation that leads to a new species. This could also be partially true because the definition of a species is kind of arbitraty. The first classification of animals was dividing them up into air animals, land animals, and water animals, which works for crows bears and sharks, but not so much for frogs and ducks.

Anyway what's a law and what's a theory is debatable.

Answer 3

Well.. it was once a fact that the earth was flat. Facts are mutable as awareness and observation increases.

A scientific theory is not "a best guess" or "hypothesis", it is based on the knowing of many things with a missing variable or two. Theory in the sense that "this is what we think happens, knowing that A occurs and B occurs". It is a mathematical (the language of science) description, a logical conclusion based on the verifiable bits contained within it.

The Theory of Relativity (which is actually two theories) will remain until replaced by another theory that better describes the processes involved.

The Pythagorean theorem is a solid theory (everyone knows it, right?), but no one refers to it as fact. We just say "well, we know that ..".

Answer 4

Hi
Nice answers above but everyone, including most of my own students, miss one important thing:

The word 'theory' in normal language means a 'guess', a 'hunch' - something that is not substantiated.

This is used by creationists who try and debunk the "theory of evolution" as "just a theory".

Unfortunintely the word 'theory' or more correctly 'scientific theory' is used in an entirely different context. It is a logical explanation that can be independantly verified and tested through experimentation.

To confuse the word 'theory' and 'scientific theory' is pure ignorance from the student and should be stated as such.

Scientific theory is different from scientific physical laws, but as we have seen, these need to be changed to when evidence disproves them. [see newtons Laws]
x

Answer 5

Theories do not turn into facts. Theories are conceptual structures that are based on "facts" (observations). For example, the theory of gravity is the sum total of what we know or think we know about gravity. Gravity is a fact. The theory of gravity is and will always remain a work in progress.

Answer 6

call me one scientist who considers those issues to be a "reality". Scientists do not assume the super bang is reality, nor do they think approximately evolution to be. in reality, they don't even evaluate the assumption of gravity to be reality. those are scientific theories. "And right here i think of the term "theory" should be appeared on the way scientists evaluate it. A theory isn't basically some thing that we predict of of in the process the night after too a lot espresso and not adequate sleep. it somewhat is an theory. A theory, in technological information, skill a extensive physique of techniques it somewhat is withstood a lot of attempting out. It probably incorporates somewhat some distinctive hypotheses and a lot of distinctive traces of evidence. Gravitation is a theory this is not likely to be falsified, regardless of if we observed some thing fall up. it would make us ask your self, yet we would attempt to come to a decision what became into happening particularly than in the present day in basic terms push aside gravitation. info are in basic terms the trivialities of technological information. with the aid of themselves, they may be excellent or incorrect. yet a theory is a few thing that has been examined and examined many times back, equipped on, revised. It keeps to be transformed and revised." Dr. Kevin Padian, Prof of Integrative Biology at U.C. Berkeley

Answer 7

In science, a theory can only be proven by repeatable experiment. If it comes out the same way every time under very strict guidelines, it's proven.
But sometimes even the strictest of guidelines don't REALLY prove anything, as it has to be SEEN to be proven, and that introduces human observation into the equation, and sometimes we see only what we want to see.

Which says, I suppose "question everything".

Answer 8

A theory bccomes fact after it is proven.

Answer 9

newton's theories became laws when experiments were conducted by other scientists and they get the same results. in time if the theory is proven by repeated results it is considered a law. now what is the difference between a law and a theory? what is the difference between a fact and a law? that is my story and i am sticking to it.

Answer 10

After you've finished your scientific experiment, you'll find out if your theory is fact or fiction.

That way, if your theory turns out to be true, you can prove it through your scientific experiment.