Scientific Theories vs Laws
Quiz by Sydney Barba
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- Q1
Explains the formation of the Universe 13.7 billion years ago.
Scientific Law (answers "What?")
Scientific Theory (answers "Why?")
60s - Q2
Explain how life originates from cells and that those cells have to come from pre-existing cells.
Scientific Law (answers WHAT?)
Scientific Theory (answers WHY?)
60s - Q3
States that younger rocks lie above older rocks as long as the rock layers have not been disturbed.
Scientific Theory (answers "Why?")
Scientific Law (answers "What?")
60s - Q4
States that objects with masses have a gravitational relationship between each other that depends on their distances.
Scientific Law (answers "What?")
Scientific Theory (answers "Why?")
60s - Q5
Explains how the Earth's surface is changing and how landforms come to be.
Scientific Law (answers "What?")
Scientific Theory (answers "Why?")
60s - Q6
Explains the nature of matter and how matter formed in the Universe from tiny particles called atoms.
Scientific Theory (answers "Why?")
Scientific Law (answers "What?")
60s - Q7
States that mass cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.
Scientific Law (answers "What?")
Scientific Theory (answers "Why?")
60s - Q8
States that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.
Scientific Law (answers "What?")
Scientific Theory (answers "Why?")
60s - Q9
Explains that cells must come from pre-existing cells and that the cell is the most basic unit of life.
Scientific Theory (answers "Why?")
Scientific Law (answers "What?")
60s - Q10
Explains how organisms evolve from earlier species.
Scientific Theory (answers "Why?")
Scientific Law (answers "What?")
60s - Q11
Which of the following is necessary to advance scientific knowledge?
Taking surveys of the general population that know very little about science.
Collecting empirical evidence (gathered by experimentation/observation)
Collecting people's opinions
Collecting evidence (gossip, newspapers, commercials, etc.)
60s - Q12
The current accepted theory for how the Earth's surface changes over time is the Plate Tectonics Theory. Which of the following correctly identifies an event that could cause the Plate Tectonic Theory to no longer be accepted?
A random scientist states his opinion on how he believes there is a layer of water beneath Earth's crust.
A person that has never studied science makes an instagram post about how they believe the Earth has not changed at all over the last 3 billion years.
Multiple scientists discovered new evidence that suggests the Earth's mantle may not in fact have convection currents.
120s - Q13
Many years ago, scientists agreed on the Geocentric model of the Solar System (where all planets and the Sun orbited around the Earth at the center). A man named Nicolaus Copernicus found evidence that the Geocentric model was incorrect, and that the Sun is actually at the center of our Solar System. What did Nicolaus need to do after his discovery in order to have his ideas validated?
Nicolaus needed to present his findings to the King to see if they would be supported by the entire kingdom.
Nicolaus needed to share his findings with the scientific community to then debate & confirm his research.
Nicolaus needed to keep his findings to himself and never tell another person.
Nicolaus needed to immediately get his ideas published in his local newspaper.
300s - Q14
It was once believed that non-living objects could give rise to living organisms. For example, worms & beetles came from dust & mud. Now, the current accepted theory is the Cell Theory, which states that the cell is the basic unit of life and that all cells must come from pre-existing cells. Which of the following statements is true about scientific knowledge?
Science never changes and the ideas we accept today are the same ideas from hundreds of years ago.
Science only changes when the majority of the population votes and agrees to the change.
Science is constantly changing and adapting as new evidence is gathered.
300s - Q15
Which of the following are acceptable forms of empirical evidence?
information gathered from tabloid magazines
information gathered from gossip at school
information gathered from TikTok
data collected during an experiment or observation
60s