How can theory become a law

Because the words theory and law have such different meanings in the language of science, it is often a difficult question to answer, so instead, I'll start by giving you a few similar questions to answer. If you are thinking that those questions don't make much sense, then you are feeling very much like a scientist who has been asked "How much proof does it take for a theory to graduate to being a law?

A dictionary is made up of thousands of different words, and a symphony can easily have thousands of notes that all fit together in just the right way to produce pleasing music. In the same way, theories are based on a variety of scientific laws, facts, testing, and other evidence, all fit together in a way that offers an explanation of how some part of the universe works. In science, laws are simple facts and formulas that are so basic that they apply universally.

That is it. All of it. It is an important law if you are working with electricity because it applies to any electrical circuit, but it tells us nothing about what amperage is, why it equals voltage divided by resistance, or what we can do with the information.

It is simply one of the "notes" in the symphony of the Electromagnetic Theory, which explains why light bulbs light, why electric heaters heat, and why computers compute.

So just as houses don't become bricks, theories don't become laws. Both are important, but they tell us very different things. But what if a theory turns out to be wrong? So based on that definition, theories never change into laws, no matter how much evidence out there supports them. Formulating theories, in fact, is the end goal of science. So to say evolution is just a theory is actually an argument for it and not against it. You can't do any better in science than to be a theory.

Einstein's idea about relativity might be called a theory, but that doesn't mean it's not true. Wikimedia Commons. Nice progression, and not what happens. To understand how scientists proceed in their investigations, it will help to understand each term individually.

For those who wondered This is a delightful little article that explains words that are tossed around a lot in science class, but unfortunately are not very well understood by many people.

See More This is a delightful little article that explains words that are tossed around a lot in science class, but unfortunately are not very well understood by many people. Three terms finally explained well! See More Dr. See More Reviews. Jennifer Rahn Delafield, WI. Hypotheses, theories, and laws explained I also like the way Bill Robertson explains the notion of a hypothesis.

See More I also like the way Bill Robertson explains the notion of a hypothesis. Adah San Antonio, TX. See More The difference between a hypothesis, theory and law is explained in this article. Allison Cooke. Newton's laws of motion, the Biot-Savart Law were so named prior to the collapse of classical physics when it was almost universally believed that the theories were, in fact, the actual laws of nature. Today, we are not so confident; so our theories are typically just called theories.

As far as the 'hypotheses' vs 'theory' distinction goes, feel free to use the two terms interchangeably. Many people believe incorrectly that a hypothesis is a theory that hasn't been tested.

But typically, in normal speak, 'hypotheses' tends to be a weaker term that might imply that the theory is more of a guess.

Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Can a theory become a law?

Ask Question. Asked 2 years, 11 months ago. Active 2 years, 11 months ago. Viewed 1k times. Some background The following are not perfect definitions but some ideas. Facts: observations it is much more complex as it depends on what we considered true previously, on perception, and so on. I'm not sure if it depends on culture. Hypothesis: explanation of a fact. It can be generally disproven or proven for some particular cases using the scientific method.

Theory: deep hypothesis, can be proven or disproven in same way than a hypothesis. Law: general description of observations. Question Does a law become a theory if the hypothesis are confirmed by experience? Improve this question. Scientific laws are what Pythagoreans called 'knowledge'.