Need more tips in biology study, if so, then read on ..
Today's topic is about the difference between theory and hypothesis. Are they the same?
Big difference...big, big difference. Don't confuse the two.
Simply put, a hypothesis is a proposition that can be scientifically tested. It must make testable predictions about the subject of interest.
For example: Volcanoes can be stopped from erupting by sacrificing virgins. We are not going to argue that you could test this hypothesis ethically or even legally...but you could test it. Perhaps we can come up with a different example, more likely to actually be carried out by real scientists.
How about this one? Flying squirrels run to the back of tree trunks when they land to avoid being captured by owls.
No, flying squirrels don't actually fly, they glide by jumping off the tree and spreading membranes made of skin between the front and rear legs. And they are nocturnal. Yes, owls do actually eat flying squirrels. Apparently they do not care how cute they are.
A simple test of this hypothesis would entail the following: a forest, lots of flying squirrels and owls. See what the squirrels do after they land when there are no owls around. Then you would test squirrels in the presence of owls. Do they run to the back of the tree or not when owls are present? Of course, you'd have to repeat the squirrel/owl trials and the squirrel/no owl trials plenty of times if you wanted to convince us. And you'd like other scientists to repeat your experiment and you'd like to control a bunch of variables like moonlight and presence of observers and so on that might affect the landing behavior of the squirrels. Nevertheless, this is an eminently testable hypothesis.
Here's one that cannot be tested scientifically, so it is not a scientific hypothesis:
Ming the Merciless, Absolute Ruler of the planet Mongo, controls the rate of spin of our galaxy, the Milky Way, around its axis.
You can probably figure out why this hypothesis isn't testable. So, it's not a scientific hypothesis.
What about theories? How are they different from hypotheses?
The word "theory" has a different meaning in science than it does in everyday language. You might say, "It's my theory that S. wants to get with J. because J. reminds S. of B who S. used to see." That is a legitimate theory (and I do not know whether it is true or not - but I've always wondered about S.), but it's an every day theory, not a scientific theory.
A scientific theory is not mere speculation or even informed speculation as was the above every day theory or as are hypotheses, for that matter. Instead, in science the term "theory" applies to a body of knowledge generally accepted by scientists, most often in that area of specialization. It is an explanation of many and diverse observations, events, and phenomena. This explanation has been rigorously tested numerous times by many independent groups of scientists and it or its parts have not been falsified by such tests.
If a part of the theory has been legitimately falsified the theory must either be tossed out or modified in part. If it is modified, it is then subject to rigorous re-testing so the modified theory can be reconsidered. When and if most scientists are convinced by the evidence the modified theory is accepted. In other words, scientists put it in the "fact" column and remove it from the "?" column.
Enough for the differences. You got the idea.
Until then, stay tuned for more biology tips.
Seize the Day!
Dr. Wayne Huang
"The Rapid Learning Coach"
BioTips@RapidLearningCener.com
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