Earth Sciences 1086F/G Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Cosmic Microwave Background, Maple Syrup, Edwin Hubble
6 May 2016
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Chapter 1: scientific theory and the big bang. In this first chapter, we will learn that the foundation of science is the scientific theory. We will then take a good look at the most profound (and most complex) of all scientific theories, the big bang theory, which is the leading theory of how the universe originated. Many times we read the words theory", law", and hypothesis" used almost interchangeably and certainly any distinction between them seems unclear. In science they do not mean anything close to the same thing! A hypothesis (plural: hypotheses) is an educated guess based upon observation sometimes, only one observation. Usually, a hypothesis can be supported or rejected through experimentation or more observation. While it can be supported or rejected, it cannot be proven to be true. A scientific theory summarizes a hypothesis (or group of hypotheses) that is supported by repeated testing and observation.
