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Asked by: Georgetta Boldor
music and audio science and medicine podcastsIs evidence the same as fact?
Correspondingly, what makes something a fact?
In science, a fact is a repeatable carefulobservation or measurement (by experimentation or other means),also called empirical evidence. In the most basic sense, ascientific fact is an objective and verifiable observation,in contrast with a hypothesis or theory, which is intended toexplain or interpret facts.
Subsequently, one may also ask, what is the difference between a statistic and a fact?
A statistic is just a number. And numbers are aseasily manipulatable, incomplete, and misleading as words are. Butthey're more dangerous than words, because numbers are associatedwith math, and math is associated with fact. $1.31 billionis a statistic.
A fact is a statement that is real ortrue, or a thing that can be shown to be real or true. Afact is something that has really happened or is actuallythe case. The usual test for a statement of fact is whetherit can be seen to be true. Standard reference works are often usedto check facts.