Observation, with careful experimentation and measurement, is one side of
the scientific process. The other side is the invention or creation of theories to
explain and order the observations. Theories are never derived directly from
observations. Observations may help inspire a theory, and theories are accepted
or rejected based on the results of observation and experiment.
Theories are inspirations that come from the minds of human beings. For
example, the idea that matter is made up of atoms (the atomic theory) was not
arrived at by direct observation of atoms—we can’t see atoms directly. Rather,
the idea sprang from creative minds. The theory of relativity, the electromagnetic
theory of light, and Newton’s law of universal gravitation were likewise
the result of human imagination.