1. What is the difference between a “hypothesis” and a “theory”? What is the rel

Question

1. What is the difference between a “hypothesis” and a “theory”? What is the relationship between facts and a “theory”? In particular, how was this addressed in the NOVA episode with respect to evolution and intelligent design?

2. What are the basic principles of the Scientific Method?
         - What is the significance of Occam’s razor?
         - What aspect of intelligent design cannot be tested and therefore prevents it from being considered a scientific theory?
         - What are the limitations of science?

3.In your book, there is a description of a scientific study on the effects of caffeine on our brain. In the controlled experiment on memory, what were researchers testing and what were the variables? What aspects of the experiment make its conclusions stronger and what aspects make it weaker?

4.What is the difference between the controlled experiment you described above and an epidemiological study on caffeine and Parkinson’s disease? How are controls carried out in epidemiological studies? What does the phrase “correlation does not equal causation” mean?

Explanation / Answer

Ans 1.              Hypothesis is a narrowly focused focused statement that is testable and falsifiable, that is, it can be proved wrong. A hypothesis represents one possible answer to the question under investigation (represented as H1, H2, H3 etc). For example, if we need to explain effects of coffee, we can formulate our hypothesis as, is that drinking coffee improves memory (H1). Another could be: high levels of caffeine increases concentration (H2).

Theory is an explanatory hypothesis for natural phenomena that is supported by the empirical data. Thus, theory is the best explanation we can have for an observed phenomenon. Theory is viewed with the same confidence as a fact since it has been tested repeatedly and no contradictions are known to exist, for example, cell theory states that all organisms are composed of cells and all cells come from pre-existing cells.

Ans 3.

Ans 4 : Epidemiology research includes the study of the incidence of disease in populations- in given area for example Parkinson

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