Table of Contents
- 1 What is the difference between a scientific description and explanation?
- 2 Is explanation the same as description?
- 3 What is a scientific explanation?
- 4 How do theories reflect the law of parsimony?
- 5 What are the three parts of a scientific explanation?
- 6 What is a parsimonious explanation?
- 7 What does a description include?
- 8 What is the difference between ‘describe’ and ‘ explanation’?
- 9 What is the difference between a scientific law and a theory?
- 10 What is the meaning of theory in science?
What is the difference between a scientific description and explanation?
According to this distinction, explanation is different from description: “Description tells us what is there, explanation why it is there” and “Science explains by laws what the scientist first describes by individual fact” (Bergmann, 1957, p. 79).
Is explanation the same as description?
Searching around, the basic difference appears to be that an explanation is objective; it doesn’t involve any kind of opinion. A description on the other hand is affected by the point of view of the author, so is subjective.
Is description a explanation?
is that description is a sketch or account of anything in words; a portraiture or representation in language; an enumeration of the essential qualities of a thing or species while explanation is the act or process of explaining.
What is a scientific explanation?
The definition of a scientific explanation is a reason for something on the principles of science. An example of a scientific explanation is a logical reason for a ghost sighting.
How do theories reflect the law of parsimony?
How do theories reflect the law of parsimony? Good theories tend to be the simplest explanations that fit the data. According to some psychologists, Sigmund Freud’s theory of the meaning of dreams was not a successful theory because: it did not lead to many testable hypotheses.
What is an example of explanation?
The definition of an explanation is something that clarifies or makes clear. An example of an explanation is telling how rain forms. The act or process of explaining. The explanation was long and drawn-out.
What are the three parts of a scientific explanation?
This process is known as evidence-based argumentation. The figure below explains the three components of a scientific argument – the claim (or the explanation), the evidence (or the observations), and the rationale (or the reasoning). Reasoning that explains the evidence and why it supports the claim.
What is a parsimonious explanation?
Parsimony is a guiding principle that suggests that all things being equal, you should prefer the simplest possible explanation for a phenomenon or the simplest possible solution to a problem. Parsimony is a useful concept, which can help guide your reasoning and decision-making in various scenarios.
What is the two types of description?
Two Types of Description: Objective and Impressionistic.
What does a description include?
1. Good descriptive writing includes many vivid sensory details that paint a picture and appeals to all of the reader’s senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste when appropriate. Descriptive writing may also paint pictures of the feelings the person, place or thing invokes in the writer.
What is the difference between ‘describe’ and ‘ explanation’?
To describe something is akin to showing someone the painting. To explain it is to also show them the video. Explanation is merely a more specific description of the prior description. > (1) Describe: I see a painting. >>> (2) Description: I see (video) a person painting it.
How can a scientific theory become a scientific fact?
A scientific theory cannot become a scientific fact, just as no explanation (theory) could ever become a description (law). Additional data could be discovered that could cause a law or theory to change or be disproven, but one will never become the other. To easily tell the difference, remember that laws describe “what” and theories explain “why.”
What is the difference between a scientific law and a theory?
A scientific law predicts the results of certain initial conditions. It might predict your unborn child’s possible hair colors, or how far a baseball travels when launched at a certain angle. In contrast, a theory tries to provide the most logical explanation about why things happen as they do.
What is the meaning of theory in science?
But for scientists, a theory has nearly the opposite meaning. A theory is a well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world that can incorporate laws, hypotheses and facts. The theory of gravitation, for instance, explains why apples fall from trees and astronauts float in space.