You might think of laws as the rules that regulate what is and is not allowed in a country. But laws in science are different. After all, science does not pass judgment on what should or should not happen; it is limited to what does happen. In science, a law is an observed part of nature without an explanation. Laws in science are also called principles.

A law might summarize a series of observations or the results of many experiments. It can be used to make predictions and must be absolute, universal, and simple. Sometimes, laws can be stated as mathematical equations. Newton's second law of motion, for example, describes the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration. It can be simply stated as the equation [tex]F = ma[/tex], where [tex]F[/tex] is force, [tex]m[/tex] is mass, and [tex]a[/tex] is acceleration.

Which of the following is true about scientific laws?

A. They are also called principles.
B. They are universal statements.
C. They can sometimes be stated as equations.
D. All of the above.