Whats the differences/similarities of a hypothesis and a theory

Question

help me plz. this is NOT for hmwrk. im trying to explain it to my cousin.... but i cant. lol

Answer 1

^ the second guy was right.  The third guy was doing alright, but he still doesn't quite understand it.

A hypothesis is a guess, more or less.  It's an idea you come up with to explain what you see (your observation is called a fact).  Then you come up with a way to test the hypothesis.  If it passes the test, it becomes a theory.

Both hypothesis and theory are explanations of why things happen.  The difference is that a theory has been tested and passed, while a hypothesis has not yet been tested.

For example, say you let go of a rock in mid air and it falls to the ground.  That is your observation (fact) that gravity exists.  Now, you think of an explanation for that, what causes gravity?  You guess that it's caused by a warp of spacetime caused by mass.  That's your hypothesis.  Now, you think of a way to test that.  If mass warps spacetime, you should be able to see light bent when it passes very close to a star.  You check it out and it's true.  Now you have a theory.

Facts lead to hypothesis, and hypothesis lead to theories.  A common misconception is people think that a theory will become a fact when it's 'proven.'  Theories NEVER become facts.  Facts lead to theories, not the other way around.  A fact is an observation of what happens, a theory is an explanation of WHY it happens, and a hypothesis is just a theory that hasn't been tested yet.

In our example, there is both a fact of gravity (the rock falls) and a theory of gravity (WHY it falls).  And of course the hypothesis was just the 'why it falls' before we had a chance to test it.  

Evolution is the same way.  There is both a fact of evolution (things evolve) and a theory of evolution (WHY things evolve).  When scientists debate about the theory of evolution, they are NOT debating about whether evolution happens or not (this is an observed fact).  They are debating about WHY or HOW evolution happens.

He said:

"By the way the theory of evolution is not fact it is just accepted as such. There is still still a small amount of evidence that disproves evolution, therefore it can not be an absolute fact."

There is NO evidence that 'disproves evolution.'  If there was, it would not be a theory.  Any time you have even one single little bit of evidence that contradicts your theory, you either have to rework the theory to account for the new evidence and test the new theory, or throw it out.  

No theory will EVER be considered 'absolute fact' because there is always the possibility of alternative explanations.  Therefore, anyone who ever says something about 'just a theory' or 'the theory has not yet been proven' does not know what they're talking about.  Theories are not about whether something happens or not, they're about why it happens.

Answer 2

A hypothesis describes a theory.  

Answer 3

A hypothesis is a suggestion that you think is worth exploring but may or may not be correct.

The word "theory" has two meanings. In ordinary speech, it means more or less the same as a very credible hypothesis.

In science, it means something completely different; a well thought through logical structure, sometimes but not always mathematical, which aims to represent reality more or less accurately.

For example, we have Newton's theory of gravity (which is true under normal conditions).  We have "ideal gas theory", which is not really true for real gases but is close enough. We even talk about theories in branches of mathematics, which are certainly exactly true.

Since you ask this question in biology, I should point out that evolution is not a theory but a fact, as shown by the fossil record, anatomical and biochemical similarities and differences, and what we can actually see happening to organisms.  

Answer 4

A hypothesis is an proposed expansion for a well framed question. A hypothesis is very specific.

A theory is an explanation for a very general class of phenomena or observations. A theory is at a much broader scope than a hypothesis. A theory is general enough that many new hypothesi can be spun of the theory. Lastly and most importantly (in my opinion) a theory is supported by a more massive body of evidence.

For example the theory of gravitation is a theory that explains why objects with mass are attracted to other objects with mass. To this day there has never been a better explanation to explain this phenomena (perhaps the theory of relativity but I digress).

I ll try and avoid debating whether evolution is true, but it is a theory. Looking at evolution there is a massive body of evidence supporting evolution, the theory explains the enormous diversity of adaptations, and many new hypotheses can be formed from the theory of evolution. This is why in the scientific community evolution is excepted as a theory. Its still a theory and its our best possible explanation that supports scientific observations.