Question

The statement “force equals mass times acceleration” is Newton’s second law of motion. Why is this a law rather than a theory?

(a)It states, rather than explains, the relationship between the variables.
(B)It cannot be proven, whereas a theory can be proven.
(C)It may be revised if new information shows that the relationship has changed.
(D)It was classified as a law because it is related to other similar discoveries.

Answer 1

The correct option is D.
A scientific theory refers to an in depth explanation of a specific observed phenomenon while a scientific law refers to a statement about a particular observed phenomenon. Scientific laws are usually presented in form of mathematical expressions for the observed phenomenon; examples of these are Newton's law of gravity, Mendel's law of independent assortment, etc. Scientific law basically describes the observations that are made and these observations are usually similar to other related observations.