Consider the following statements:
prediction: it will rain before monday
evening if it is cloudy when the sun goes
down on friday evening.
observation: every week for two months
the above prediction held true.
given this observation, should the
prediction be accepted as a fact?
a yes; an event that happens so frequently
is almost certain to continue to happen
regularly.
b yes; if a hypothesis holds true during
several observations, it is a scientific fact.
c no; the observations were not made in a
laboratory
no; the prediction should not be accepted
without additional observations.