a close agreement by competent observers of a series of observations of the same phenomena
fact
an educated guess; a reasonable explanation of an observation or experimental result that is not fully accepted as factual until tested over and over again by experiment
hypothesis
a general hypothesis or statement about the relationship of natural quantities that has been tested over and over again and has not been contradicted
law/principle
an orderly method for gaining, organizing, and applying new knowledge
scientific method
a synthesis of a large body of information that encompasses well-tested and verified hypotheses about aspects of the natural world