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Every time I ride on the subway, I get a cold.' This is:

a) a scientific hypothesis
b) a scientific theory
c) a scientific law
d) a correlation without causation

User Misun
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1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

The claim that riding the subway always leads to catching a cold is a correlation without causation, not a scientific hypothesis, theory, or law.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement 'Every time I ride on the subway, I get a cold' is d) a correlation without causation. While there may be an observed relationship between riding the subway and getting a cold, this observation alone does not establish a direct cause-and-effect mechanism. A hypothesis would require a tentative explanation to be tested, a scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world supported by evidence, and a scientific law is a description, often in the form of a mathematical formula, of consistent behavior observed in nature.

The notion that solely riding the subway causes colds does not account for other variables, such as exposure to different pathogens, the immune system status of the individual, and environmental conditions. Therefore, without a controlled experimental design to test this hypothesis, we cannot claim a direct causal relationship.

User CreepyRaccoon
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