Definitions of theory on the Web:
* a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; "theories can incorporate facts and laws and tested hypotheses"; "true in fact and theory"
* hypothesis: a tentative theory about the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena; "a scientific hypothesis that survives experimental testing becomes a scientific theory"; "he proposed a fresh theory of alkalis that later was accepted in chemical practices"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
* A comprehensive explanation of a given set of data that has been repeatedly confirmed by observation and experimentation and has gained general acceptance within the scientific community but has not yet been decisively proven. See also hypothesis and scientific law.
college.hmco.com/geology/resources/geologylink/glossary/t.html
* a general principle that explains or predicts facts or events
education.jlab.org/beamsactivity/6thgrade/vocabulary/
* a statement or set of statements used to explain a phenomena. A theory is generally accepted as valid due to having survived repeated testing.
www.carm.org/evolution/evoterms.htm * A theory is an abstract formulation of the constant relations between entities or, what means the same thing, the necessary regularity in the concatenation (qv) and sequence of phenomena and/or events. A theory may be true or false. A valid theory attempts to eliminate all contradictions in the application of cause and effect to a given specific situation or set of conditions. The aim of a theory is always success in action. ...
www.mises.org/easier/T.asp * A scientific theory is an established and experimentally verified fact or collection of facts about the world. Unlike the everyday use of the word theory, it is not an unproved idea, or just some theoretical speculation. The latter meaning of a 'theory' in science is called a hypothesis.
www.whatislife.com/glossary.htm * An extremely well-substantiated explanation of some aspects of the natural world that incorporates facts, laws, predictions, and tested hypotheses. (Eg, Einstein's Theory of Gravitation, 1916)
www.nmsr.org/wrkshp9.htm------------
I mean im not one to question such a prestigious place of learning such as PRINCETON, but hey, what do they know compared to....oh wait, you didnt give your sources did you? well hey, if other people can pull information and statistics out of their asses, i suppose your just as qualified.
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@bigcheez:
While a great deal is now known about the properties of gravity, the ultimate cause of the gravitational force remains an open question and gravity remains an important topic of scientific research.
Alternative theories
Historical alternative theories
* Aristotelian theory of gravity
* Nikola Tesla challenged Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, announcing he was working on a Dynamic theory of gravity (which began between 1892 and 1894) and argued that a "field of force" was a better concept and focused on media with electromagnetic energy that fill all of space.
* Induced gravity: In 1967 Andrei Sakharov proposed something similar, if not essentially identical. His theory has been adopted and promoted by Messrs. Haisch, Rueda and Puthoff who, among other things, explain that gravitational and inertial mass are identical and that high speed rotation can reduce (relative) mass. Combining these notions with those of Thomas Townsend Brown, it is relatively easy to conceive how field propulsion vehicles such as "flying saucers" could be engineered given a suitable source of power.
* LeSage gravity, proposed by Georges-Louis LeSage, based on a fluid-based explanation where a light gas fills the entire universe.
* Nordström's theory of gravitation, an early competitor of general relativity.
* Whitehead's theory of gravitation, another early competitor of general relativity.
Recent alternative theories
* Brans-Dicke theory of gravity
* Rosen bi-metric theory of gravity
* In the modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND), Mordehai Milgrom proposes a modification of Newton's Second Law of motion for small accelerations.
* The new and "highly controversial" Process Physics theory attempts to address gravity
* The Self creation cosmology theory of gravity in which the Brans-Dicke theory is modified to allow mass creation.
* The satirical theory of Intelligent falling