Theory vs. Law Lesson

You develop an equation that successfully predicts the size of a crater given the size of the meteor

You publish a paper analyzing the elements that make up a sample of a meteorite

You develop an idea about why the frequency of meteor impacts varies in a consistent pattern over several decades of observation

You design a spacecraft that can land on a meteor and drill into it to sample its make-up

His theory predicted unknown elements that were later found

His theory later 'grew up' into a law about elemental properties

He was the first scientist to attempt to organize elements in a pattern

When he paired oxygen with potassium, it went 'OK'

A foot race, where the first theory that comes up with an explanation wins

A lottery, where if you happen to be really lucky, you can win a prize

A boxing match, where the winner has to be ready to fight the next opponent

A cafeteria line, where scientists can just pick and chose parts they like best from each theory

Theories are laws that have not been proven true yet

Theories attempt to explain why things happen and laws predict what will happen

Laws are theories that have not been proven true yet

Laws attempt to explain why things happen and theories predict what will happen

A current theory is discarded because it cannot explain the new data

A current law is charged to account for the new data

A current theory is modified to better explain the new data

Any of these are possible responses to new and unexpected data