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What is the difference between a scientific theory and a scientific law? Can your dream theory ever become a Dream Law? Explain.

User Bvgheluwe
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Final answer:

A scientific theory is a complex and dynamic explanation for observed phenomena, whereas a scientific law is a concise statement describing a pattern in nature, often supported by a mathematical equation. Theories explain 'why', and laws describe 'what' happens; they are different entities in science and one cannot become the other.

Step-by-step explanation:

The key difference between scientific theory and scientific law involves the scope and function within the scientific community. A scientific theory is an explanation of observed phenomena, built up from a considerable amount of evidence and providing a framework for understanding how processes operate in nature. Scientific theories are complex, and dynamic, and can encompass a wide range of related phenomena. They are the culmination of the scientific process that starts from a hypothesis and, after rigorous testing and confirmation, becomes a well-established theory.

In contrast, a scientific law is a concise and general statement expressed through language and often mathematical equations, which describes a pattern in nature that has been observed to consistently occur under certain conditions. This is supported by extensive experimentation and scientific evidence. A law summarizes a set of observations but does not explain them; that explanation is the domain of a theory.

As such, a theory will never become a law, nor is it 'upgraded' to a law with additional evidence; they are distinct types of knowledge. A theory provides a comprehensive explanation behind the observed law, and while laws describe what happens, theories articulate why it happens. Regarding your question about a 'Dream Theory' becoming a 'Dream Law', it's important to clarify that terms such as 'Dream Law' do not fit into the scientific definitions of law. Therefore, a hypothetical Dream Theory would remain as a theory explaining the phenomena of dreams, and it would not become a law.

User Cristian Scutaru
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