Scientific theory

A theory is an abstract or systematic explanation of some phenomenon or subject matter. It is more substantial than a conjecture or hypothesis, but may not yet be verified as factual.

The term theory is often used outside of science, such as in music theory, number theory, or Marxist theory.

Scientific Theory

A scientific theory is a model or framework for describing the behavior of a related set of natural or social phenomena. A theory is a plausible or consistent explanation; it becomes scientific when it is subjected to empirical scrutiny.^{[Citation Needed]} A Scientific Theory must be falsifiable, meaning that there must be some way to do observations that might disprove the theory.

A scientific theory does not necessarily have to have strong experimental support or accepted by the scientific community.^{[Citation Needed]} Scientists often refer to untested theories and competing theories.^{[Citation Needed]} Theories can be extremely well-confirmed, such as conservation of energy, or wildly speculative, such as String Theory. However some scientists want the name of the idea String Theory to be changed as it does not fit with the scientific meaning of the word.

The Theory of Evolution includes microevolution (change in allele frequency over time), which is well-confirmed, and the idea that there existed a universal common ancestor for all life on Earth, which remains controversial.^{[Citation Needed]}