What is "Scientific Theory"?

Question

and how does it relate to scientific method?

Answer 1

A theory is a hypothesis, pertaining to one of more natural phenomena or entities, which has been verified by predicted observations and which has no been disproven in extensive testing.

The hypothesis is based in observed data, must be internally consistent, and must provide a framework that predicts observations outside of base data set.

This is how the small scale scientific method is aggregated into tools useful for explaining nature on a large scale instead of entity to entity.

Answer 2

I'm a high school biology teacher in California.  I'm not, therefore, going to answer your question (because i think it's homework) but i will give you the tools to think about it and answer it on your own.  

By the way, if you google -scientific theory- and -scientific method- you, too, can find these answers (they're ALL OVER the net and you gotta get good at research for college anyway, right?).  That way, you won't have to (so obviously) ask other people to do your homework for you.

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Scientific Law: This is a statement of fact meant to explain an action or set of actions. It is generally accepted to be true and universal. Scientific laws are are accepted at face value based upon the fact that they have always been observed to be true.

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.

Some scientific laws, or laws of nature, include the law of gravity, Newton's laws of motion, the laws of thermodynamics, Boyle's law of gases, the law of conservation of mass and energy, and Hook’s law of elasticity.  (1)

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Scientific method: The scientific method is the process by which scientists, collectively and over time, work to build an accurate (accurate, in this case, means reliable, consistent and non-arbitrary) representation of the world.  Inportant: The scientific method attempts to minimize the influence of cultural bias/prejudice or preconcieved ideas in the experimenter when testing an hypothesis or a theory.

I. The scientific method has four steps

1. Observation and description of a phenomenon or group of phenomena.

2. Formulation of an hypothesis to explain the phenomena.

3. Use of the hypothesis to predict the existence of other phenomena, or to predict the results of new observations.

4. Performance of experimental tests of the predictions. Eventually several independent experimenters and properly performed experiments will have to be caried out to insure correctness.

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Go think.  The connection between them is really very clear.  You'll feel better knowing you found that connection yourself then if you just copied it down without using your brain at all.

Now go do your own work!

(I can't wait for the school year to begin!  I'm ready!  I LOVE my job!)

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