Computational Science

What is theoretical science?

The third way to do science is theoretical science. The word "theoretical" comes from the word "theory". A theory is an idea that a scientist creates. Most of the time the idea for the theory comes from making many observations. Scientists combine these observations with existing laws to predict new scientific laws.

Most theoretical scientists use mathematics to describe their theories. For example, I might observe that as a person gets older, he or she gets taller. I can describe my theory using mathematics. I create an equation to describe my observations. For example, my equation might be: Height = height at birth x age (in years). Mathematics helps me explain and use my theory.

You may have heard of a theoretical scientist by the name of Albert Einstein. Einstein was probably the world's greatest theoretical scientist. He applied known observations about light and applied them to the study of gravity. His predictions about how light is affected by gravity was the foundation of his theory of relativity.

3. experimental
2. observational
1. introduction

5. computational