Question

For the statements below indicate whether it is a hypothesis, theory, natural law or if it is not a scientific statement at all. Provide an explanation for your reasoning.

Statement 1: By increasing the amount of sun exposure the growth of a tomato plant will increase.
Statement 2: Energy cannot be created or destroyed
Statement 3: When newly industrialized parts of Britain became polluted in the nineteenth century, smoke killed lichens growing on trees and blackened their bark. Pale colored moths which had been well camouflaged before when they rested on tree trunks became very conspicuous and were easily found and eaten by birds. Rare dark moths, which had been conspicuous before, were now well camouflaged in the black background. Birds switched from eating mainly dark moths to pale moths. Over time, the most common moth color changed from pale to dark. Natural selection had caused a change in the British moth population.

Answer 1

Statement 1: hypothesis

Statement 2: natural law

Statement 3: theory

Step-by-step explanation:

1) An hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. It provides a suggested outcome. It needs to be tested through experimentation.

The statement says that an increase in sun exposure, increases the tomato plant growth, which is a suggested outcome and it can be tested.

2) Energy cannot be created or destroyed, is the first law of thermodynamics.

A scientific law is the description of an observed phenomenon. Without an explanation of the causes behind it.

3) A scientific theory is the explanation of a given phenomenon, based on a large body of empirical data.

This why after the pale and dark moths example, it says: Natural Selection had caused a change in the British moth population.

It is a theory that explains the phenomenon quoted.