Question
Sometimes a new experimental result may seem to go against a well-established scientific theory. Which statement BEST describes a scientific response to such a situation?
Responses
A The old theory has to be discarded in favor of a new theory.The old theory has to be discarded in favor of a new theory.
B The result should be altered so that it matches the established theory.The result should be altered so that it matches the established theory.
C New results should be verified by more experiments before it is accepted.New results should be verified by more experiments before it is accepted.
D An established theory is based on evidence, so the new results must be incorrect
Responses
A The old theory has to be discarded in favor of a new theory.The old theory has to be discarded in favor of a new theory.
B The result should be altered so that it matches the established theory.The result should be altered so that it matches the established theory.
C New results should be verified by more experiments before it is accepted.New results should be verified by more experiments before it is accepted.
D An established theory is based on evidence, so the new results must be incorrect
Answers
GPT-5 mini
C
New results should be verified by more experiments before being accepted. Scientific practice is to replicate and scrutinize unexpected findings; if repeated and reliable, theories are revised or replaced.
New results should be verified by more experiments before being accepted. Scientific practice is to replicate and scrutinize unexpected findings; if repeated and reliable, theories are revised or replaced.