Identify each of the following statements as being most similar to a hypothesis, a law, or a theory. Explain your reasoning.
(a) Falling barometric pressure precedes the onset of bad weather.
(b) All life on earth has evolved from a common, primitive organism through the process of natural selection.
(c) My truck’s gas mileage has dropped significantly, probably because it’s due for a tune-up.

Solution:

Part a

Law, because it states a consistently observed phenomenon and it can be used for prediction.

Part b

Theory, because it is a widely accepted explanation of the origin of species.

Part c

Hypothesis, it is a tentative explanation and it can be investigated by experimentation.

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