Unpacking TOK essay prompt

"Facts are needed to establish theories but theories are needed to make sense of facts.” Discuss this statement with reference to two areas of knowledge. 

1-Identify (give definition) for key terms.

Facts: something that truly exists or happens : something that has actual existence

Theory: an idea or set of ideas that is intended to explain facts or events

2-Brainstorm specific examples in two AOKs you would use to answer the prompt.

Math: when finding volume using calculus- we don't have specific way of proving it but, by using areas of graph, we can calculate the volume. Furthermore, induction is all about assuming it is true when n=1 and n=k+1.

• WOK: My own knowledge - I have learnt this in class

Science: It is a known fact that the dinosaurs existed. However, the extinction of dinosaurs have to be explained in order to show it is fact. In order to do this, people came out with theories on how they are extincted.

• WOK: My own interest on the topic made me research about this

3- What are the assumptions of the claim?

Math: For proving areas of graph, we assume that dx is equal to a constant length that is 'un-measurable'. This is a knowledge I gained from studying maths in class. Additionally, induction makes an assumption that if a statement is true for n=1, n=k and n=k+1, any number will be true. This assumption might be wrong since some numbers might be an 'exception'. Furthermore, some people claim that 1+1 is not equal to 2, and is equal to 1.999999999... just because 8/9=0.888888 so 9/9 should equal to 0.99999... This might sound dumb, but some people believe in it!

Science: when considering dinosaurs, we have to assume in the first place, that the bones discovered are the bones of the dinosaurs. Since no one survived the era of dinosaurs, we can only assume that the bones found are REALLY the bones of the dinosaurs, not just bones of random animals put together.