Hypothesis: I Think This Is What Happens

Hypothesis: I think this is what happens.

Theories: I have done a lot of experiments, and it seems my idea of how the experiment proceeds is correct. I have also put my ideas out there, and many scientists have tried to poke holes in my idea, but they haven't yet. But I may not have thought of all the possibilities that could make it wrong, but I am pretty sure it is correct. Questions have been raised, but still not enough to disprove my idea. But there are some doubters. However, new ideas may arise,or new techniques, so I cannot etch my idea in stone yet.

Laws: The theory is sound, but not only that, there is no evidence whatsoever that shows that there are any flaws in the theory. Gravity is one of the laws. So are the three laws of thermodynamics. There is total acceptance in the scientific community.

Controlled conditions: There are a couple of ways of looking at this question. One is that you do one experiment under specific conditions, and a second one where you vary only one thing, and then compare the results. Lets say you have the idea that plants grow best when there is sunlight. So you set up a pot, water it, give it sunlight and oxygen and monitor its growth. You set up a second set, where you water it, give it oxygen, but no sunlight, and monitor its growth. You can conclude that sunlight is necessary, since you gave both experiments equal amounts of soil, water and oxygen.

The other would be in evaluating drugs. To one set of patients, you give the drug. To another set of patients, suffering from the same problem, you give a sugar pill. But they don't know themselves if they got the drug or the sugar pill. You then see which group gets better, and the side effects each group experiences. That tells you if your drug is actually doing anything useful. But each patient set is allowed to live their life as they normally would.