12 points What's the difference between a hypothesis and a theory?

A. Theory" is another word for "fact;" "hypothesis" is another word for "guess."

B. Hypothesis can't be proven; theories can.

C. Theories have been confirmed through tests; hypotheses haven't.

D. Theories contain many hypotheses; a hypothesis only contains one theory.

C. Theories have been confirmed through tests; hypotheses haven't.

Explanation:

In simple terms, a theory is something that has been studied, tested, and validated with results whereas a hypothesis is when one "guesses" or "assumes" about something with no prior tests. In short, a hypothesis can be best understood as just a proposal while theory can be taken as a validated result.

Through various trials and tests, a theory arrives whereas a hypothesis can be the initial stage of the testing. For example, in saying that "My hypothesis is that this metal cannot bend" is just assuming or expressing one's opinion. But when the metal is tested and a definite result is found, then that becomes a theory.

So, we can say that a theory is a confirmed result after tests while a hypothesis is not tested or confirmed with a definite result.  

Thus, the correct answer is option C.