Which of the following is the most suitable reason behind Newton's theory of…
2024
Which of the following is the most suitable reason behind Newton's theory of gravitation being regarded as an excellent theory ?
- A.
It explains a larger number of observations by making fewer assumptions
- B.
It has been arrived at after thorough experimentation
- C.
It has been formulated using the precise language of mathematics
- D.
It has been developed over a long period of time
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
A scientific theory is judged to be "excellent" primarily on its explanatory power combined with parsimony: the fewer the fundamental assumptions a theory needs, and the larger the range of observations it can account for, the more highly it is regarded. This principle — closely related to the idea of Occam's razor — is the standard criterion used in the pedagogy and philosophy of science to evaluate a theory, and it is distinct from how the theory was derived (through experimentation), how it is expressed (in mathematical form), or how long it took to develop.
Newton's law of universal gravitation rests on a single, simple postulate: every pair of masses attracts one another with a force proportional to the product of the masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them (F = Gm1m2/r2). From this one assumption, the theory accounts for a wide range of seemingly unconnected observations — an apple falling to the ground, the Moon orbiting the Earth, the planets orbiting the Sun, and the rise and fall of ocean tides. Because a single law built on very few assumptions explains such a diverse set of phenomena, the theory is regarded as excellent.
The other reasons offered do not match this criterion:
Thorough experimentation describes how a theory is tested and confirmed, not how many phenomena it accounts for — rigorous testing alone does not make a theory count as exceptionally unifying.
Precise mathematical formulation is a matter of notation and expression; a theory can be stated in ordinary language and still be judged on the very same explanatory grounds.
The length of time a theory took to develop is a fact about its history, not about its content — quick or slow development has no bearing on how many observations it explains or how few assumptions it needs.
This is confirmed by NCERT's Pedagogy of Science material and matches the official CTET January 2024 Paper 2 answer key, which marks the same option as correct.