Science Models, Laws, Mechanisms, and Theories Explain Natural Phenomena

• Scientists search for cause and effect relationships to explain natural events.
• Science explanations describe the mechanisms for natural events.
• Laws are regularities or mathematical descriptions of natural phenomena.
• Theories and laws provide explanations in science.
• Laws are statements or descriptions of the relationships among observable phenomena.
• A scientific theory is a substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment and the science community validates each theory before it is accepted. If new evidence is discovered that the theory does not accommodate, the theory is generally modified in light of this new evidence.
• Models, mechanisms, and explanations collectively serve as tools in the development of a scientific theory.