Question

in the 1700s, isaac newton determined that the force of gravity between two objects depends on the mass of the objects and distance between them. he reasoned that things fall toward earth because it has so much mass. then in the 1900s, albert einstein worked with new discoveries, such as the fact that light always travels the same speed, and he determined a new explanation of how and why gravity works. mass and distance still matter in einsteins explanation, but speed also matters. newtons explanation still works for objects close to earth, but einsteins explanation works for all of the objects in the universe. what does this demonstrate about the nature of science? when new scientists have different beliefs than older scientists, they will search for new facts. all scientists can observe the same facts and determine different explanations about them. if scientists establish explanations based on data, then the explanations are true and do not need to be changed. scientists make improved explanations by building on old ideas and working with new data.

Explanation:

Newton's work on gravity was based on mass and distance. Einstein built on this (as mass and distance still matter in his theory) but also incorporated new data (like the constant speed of light). His theory works for all objects in the universe, showing that scientific explanations improve by using old ideas and new data.

• The first option about new scientists with different beliefs searching for new facts is not the main point here. The example is about building on existing work, not just searching due to different beliefs.
• The second option that all scientists can observe the same facts and determine different explanations is too broad. The key is the progression (building on old and using new data), not just different explanations in general.
• The third option that explanations are true and don't need to be changed is wrong as Einstein's work shows explanations can be improved.

Answer:

Scientists make improved explanations by building on old ideas and working with new data.