Thus it is evident that even if a device (the catapult in the above example) harnesses some phenomenon, the explanation for the phenomenon is not necessarily true just because the device works. This example instead shows what science really is. Science is an attempt by Humans to explain the world around us. When something is observed, a scientist begins to propose ideas as to why something is happening the way it is. The scientist uses all the current scientific theories to support his new idea and also uses experimentation to test the new idea. Over time through experimentation the idea is refined and if it appears to be sound then it is accepted as theory. However, in the future a new breakthrough may come about which renders this old theory obsolete and scientists at the time of the discovery will realize that the previous theory that was accepted as truth was completely wrong. Perhaps many theories widely believed today will become obsolete upon new discoveries in the future and future scientists will dismiss ideas many modern scientists hold as truths just as modern scientists easily dismiss the medieval idea of impetus. Thus the question arises once again of whether science is fact or plausible fiction.

Take for instance the scientific principles of projectile motion. In a simplified form, current physics explains that projectile motion is composed of two components. A y component which describes the objects path in a vertical direction and the x component which describes the object's motion in relation to a horizontal direction. This explanation show that projectiles travel in an arc and its has been proven countless times through experiment upon experiment since its original conception. However, the modern principles of projectile motion is not how scientists have always explained the phenomenon. In fact, the theory proposed by medieval scientists in drastically different from what is now accepted. This scientists of yesterday tried to explain projectile motion from what they observed and the most likely example of projectile motion that a medieval scientist would have seen would be a catapult or some other similar device. When someone on the ground observes such a device in action it is hard to see that the object moves in an arc because the object is usually ob

Some common words found in the essay are:
, projectile motion, absolute truth, convincing fiction, scientific understanding, scientific method, fiction scientific, scientific ideas, light bulb, close absolute truth, principles projectile motion, convincing fiction scientific, idea science, core theories,
Approximate Word count = 1544
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)