At 1/28/14 12:39 PM, egg82 wrote:
As far as I'm aware, that's almost exactly what it means.
That is a hypothesis, not a theory.
At 1/28/14 12:39 PM, egg82 wrote:
The reason we put the label "theory" on something (in the scientific world) is because we don't yet have enough substantial evidence to prove it without leaving some holes behind.
Not at all. We put the label "theory" on it because that's what people decided to call it, and it doesn't mean what you think it does. This is a very common misconception because in colloquial use "theory" is synonymous with "hypothesis". Do not confuse theories with hypotheses in a scientific context.
At 1/28/14 12:39 PM, egg82 wrote:
The theory of evolution covers a lot of ground, and we have yet to prove ALL of it.
If that were true then evolution wouldn't be a theory. By virtue of it being a theory these "holes" you're implying exist very much do not exist. Evolution is airtight, there isn't some aspect of it waiting to be proven. I cannot stress that enough.
At 1/28/14 12:39 PM, egg82 wrote:
Once something is proven with the scientific method, it's no longer a theory. It then becomes a law.
You seriously could not be more wrong. Theories do not become laws. Theories use laws in their quantifications and explanations. I repeat: theories do not become laws. That doesn't make sense.
At 1/28/14 12:39 PM, egg82 wrote:
I wold disagree. It's the law of gravity, not the theory of gravity :P
You are wrong. Gravity is a theory, not a law. The theory of gravity incorporates the laws of physics. One such law is that bodies of mass move toward each other. The theory of gravity quantifies and explains why that happens.
And since we're getting into this it is worth stating that there is no theory called "the theory of gravity", like there is the theory of evolution. The most recent theory to explain gravity is Einstein's theories of general and special relativity.
At 1/28/14 12:39 PM, egg82 wrote:
[gravity] WAS a theory until it was proven
No, no, no, no, no. That is not how science works. As I said in my previous post: a theory is the pinnacle of achievement in science. It is the greatest thing any scientist can hope to achieve. Gravity was proven to exist through demonstrable, repeatable, and predictable tests, and the theory quantifies and explains that.
At 1/28/14 12:39 PM, egg82 wrote:
(google "scientific theory vs scientific law" if you want more information on that topic.)
You need to follow your own advice. Or just read this, it's only nine paragraphs.