* Hypothesis: A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon that can be tested through experimentation. It's a starting point for scientific investigation. The idea that objects attract each other is not something that needs to be tested – it's an observed phenomenon.
* Theory: A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses. While we have theories about how objects attract each other (like Newton's theory of gravity or Einstein's theory of general relativity), the existence of attraction itself isn't a theory.
* Law: A scientific law is a statement that describes an observed pattern in nature, often expressed mathematically. It's a concise description of what happens, not an explanation of why it happens. While laws describe the *force* of attraction (like Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation), they don't explain the *mechanism* behind it.
In summary:
* The existence of attractive forces between bodies is an observed phenomenon.
* The explanation of this phenomenon is provided by theories like Newton's theory of gravity and Einstein's theory of general relativity.
* The mathematical description of the force is given by laws like Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation.
So, it's more accurate to say that the attractive force between two bodies is a fact of nature, explained by theories and described by laws.
