At this point, a theory has been discovered. If the theory gains general acceptance in competition with other theories, and if it leads to a general advance in scientific knowledge, then it may become an established theory. Other scientists may not be able to duplicate the results. Some new theory might come along that replaces the current one. Implicit in the scientific method is the belief that nothing is absolutely proven for all time .
Scientists hold that all truly scientific theories are capable of being falsified.
That is, researchers must always be prepared for some future experiment or investigation that will prove that an existing theory is invalid. These formulas precisely predicted the movement of everything from pendulums to planets. Over time, Newton's theories advanced in status until they became referred to as Newton's Laws. However, in the early 20th century, Einstein developed new equations which predicted that an object's mass is not constant. As its speed approached that of light, its mass increases and dimensions decrease.