I debated whether to call it a "hypothesis" or a "theory" and then realized that many people don't know the difference. So, here are definitions for some commonly confused science terms:
hypothesis: An untested educated guess to explain an observed trend.
theory: A model supported by evidence that can be used to explain past and present observations and predict future ones.
law: A theory that is supported by a lot of evidence and is generally accepted as the best model to explain and predict an observed trend.
Basically, a scientist notices something and comes up with a hypothesis to explain his observations. The hypothesis is then tested and, if supported by the tests, becomes accepted as a theory. (If not supported, a new hypothesis is devised.) After a theory gains enough support/evidence and other theories are discarded, it is called a law. Nothing is "proven" in science. That simply is not the purpose. The purpose is to be able to explain past and current trends and predict future ones. New hypotheses and theories are always being developed to better explain observations, even for phenomena with long-established "laws."
Sorry about being "educational" today. If I could find a job, I wouldn't be so prone to tormenting others with science talk. XD
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