4.2.

5 Journal: Theories and Laws Journal

The Living Earth Sem 1 Name: Bushra Shurrab
Date:

1. A scientific law is a statement of fact that describes an action or set of actions.

Laws are accepted as fact because they are always observed to be true.
Examples of scientific laws are Newton's laws of motion. These laws describe the
motion of moving objects.

a) Give an example of a scientific law you have studied or heard of. (Think about
what happens when an apple falls from a tree.) (2 points)

A scientific law I have heard of is Archimedes Principle

b) How do you know that this is a law in scientific terms? Read through the
definition of law in the question above. (2 points)

I know that this is a law in scientific terms because it explains how things move.

4.2.5 Journal: Theories and Laws 1/5

Copyright © 2023 Apex Learning Inc. Use of this material is subject to Apex Learning's Terms of Use. Any unauthorized
copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited.
 2. A hypothesis is an educated guess based upon observation. It is an
explanation of a single event based upon what is observed. A hypothesis has not
been proved but can be supported by experimentation.

a) Suppose that out of 10 trees planted in a yard, only five survived. What kind of
hypothesis could you make about this observation or event? Remember that a
hypothesis needs to have a certain format. (2 points)

Half of the trees were not able to survive due to harsh weather.

b) How could you test this hypothesis? What type of experiment could you
perform? (2 points)

You could test this hypothesis by trying to plant the trees during a season where the weather is not that
harsh, like spring.

c) How would this hypothesis be different from a scientific law? Review the
definitions of law and hypothesis to help you. (2 points)

4.2.5 Journal: Theories and Laws 2/5

Copyright © 2023 Apex Learning Inc. Use of this material is subject to Apex Learning's Terms of Use. Any unauthorized
copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited.
 This hypothesis would be different than a scientific law because a hypothesis is an educated
guess, but a scientific law is a proven fact.

3. In science, a theory is more like a scientific law than a hypothesis. A theory

explains a set of observations or events. It must be verified multiple times by
many different scientists. One scientist cannot create a theory on his or her own.

a) Look back at your hypothesis from question 2. Could this hypothesis become a
theory if you repeated your experiment 100 different times and got the same
results? Can a theory be created by just one person? (2 points)

Yes, it can become a theory if the expirement is repeated 100 times with the same results. The theory
can not be made by just one person though, other people must try the expirement as well and get the
same results.

b. What two things would need to happen for your hypothesis to eventually
become a theory? Look back over the definition of a theory. (2 points)

There has to be evidence, and it must be verified multiple time by many different scientists.

4.2.5 Journal: Theories and Laws 3/5

Copyright © 2023 Apex Learning Inc. Use of this material is subject to Apex Learning's Terms of Use. Any unauthorized
copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited.
 c) What is the difference between a scientific theory and a scientific law? Look
closely at the definitions of theory and law and try to see what is different. (2
points)

I scientific law is a statement of fact that describes an action or set of actions, but a theory just explains a set of
observations or events.

4. Think about the concept of evolution.

a) Would you say this is a hypothesis or a theory? Think about the difference
between a theory and a hypothesis and try to apply it to the concept of evolution.
(2 points)

I beleive that the concept of evolution is a theory because we can clearly see that humans are evolving
every generation, both in physical and mental ways.

4.2.5 Journal: Theories and Laws 4/5

Copyright © 2023 Apex Learning Inc. Use of this material is subject to Apex Learning's Terms of Use. Any unauthorized
copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited.
 b) If the concept of evolution is defined as a scientific theory, what must be true
about the concept of evolution? Look over your answers in question 3 and try to
apply these ideas to the theory of evolution. (2 points)

If the concept of evolution is defined as a scientific theory, that means that it has been tested by many
scientists, over and over again.

Copyright © 2019 Apex Learning Inc. Use of this material is subject to Apex Learning's Terms of Use. Any unauthorized

copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited. Apex Learning ® and the Apex Learning Logo are registered trademarks of

Apex Learning Inc.

4.2.5 Journal: Theories and Laws 5/5

Copyright © 2023 Apex Learning Inc. Use of this material is subject to Apex Learning's Terms of Use. Any unauthorized
copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited.