Final answer:
The term for breaking down a complex concept into smaller parts for better understanding is analysis, which is crucial in developing scientific laws and theories.
Step-by-step explanation:
The breakdown of a complex concept into smaller parts that leads to a better understanding of the whole is known as analysis. In the context of scientific discovery, analysis is essential for developing theories and laws. For instance, as more experimental data are collected and analyzed, scientists may find that the results are dependable enough to be summarized in a scientific law. This law describes what happens in nature, often with a concise mathematical equation, but does not necessarily explain why it happens.
Over time, after the development of such laws and further analysis, scientists might also propose theories, which are broader and more dynamic explanations of a range of related phenomena. For instance, while Newton's second law of motion provides a simple equation (F = ma), the Theory of Evolution offers a complex explanation of biological changes over time.