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Old 25-02-2011, 04:56 PM
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CraigS
Unpredictable

CraigS is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,023
Interesting .. I'm enjoying this thread !

Just so we can justifiy this thread in the Science Forum, (and for the record), I found a reasonable definition of scientific 'fact':

Quote:
Fact: A basic statement established by experiment or observation. All facts are true under specific conditions. Some facts may be false when re-tested with better instruments.
.. oh .. what the hell .. here's the rest of 'em …

Quote:
Law: A logical relationship between two or more things that is based on a variety of facts, and proven hypothesis. It is often a mathematical statement of how two or more quantities relate to each other. A law is a phenomenon that has been observed many times, and no contrary examples found, that it is accepted as a universal phenomenon.

Hypothesis: A tentative statement such as ‘if A happens then B must happen’, that can be tested by direct experiment or observation. A proven hypothesis can be expressed as a law or a theory. A disproven hypothesis can sometimes be re-tested and found correct, as measurements improve.

Theory: An explanation for an observed phenomenon. An explanation why certain laws and facts exist, that can be tested to determine its accuracy, make predictions and incorporate a statement to enable disproof of the stated theory.

Belief: A statement that is not scientifically provable in the same way as facts, laws, hypotheses or theories. Scientifically disproven beliefs can still be held to be true.
Keep 'em coming !! I'll probably update this thread when I uncover some more of my own, in the future !

Cheers (& thanks for the contributions !)
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