Editing Scientific theory (section)

==In physics==
In [[physics]], the term ''theory'' is generally used for a mathematical framework—derived from a small set of basic [[postulates]] (usually symmetries—like equality of locations in space or in time, or identity of electrons, etc.)—that is capable of producing experimental predictions for a given category of physical systems. A good example is [[classical electromagnetism]], which encompasses results derived from [[gauge symmetry]] (sometimes called [[gauge invariance]]) in a form of a few equations called [[Maxwell's equations]]. The specific mathematical aspects of classical electromagnetic theory are termed "laws of electromagnetism", reflecting the level of consistent and reproducible evidence that supports them. Within electromagnetic theory generally, there are numerous hypotheses about how electromagnetism applies to specific situations. Many of these hypotheses are already considered to be adequately tested, with new ones always in the making and perhaps untested. An example of the latter might be the [[radiation reaction force]]. As of 2009, its effects on the periodic motion of charges are detectable in [[synchrotron]]s, but only as ''averaged'' effects over time. Some researchers are now considering experiments that could observe these effects at the instantaneous level (i.e. not averaged over time).<ref>Koga J and Yamagiwa M (2006). [http://epsppd.epfl.ch/Roma/pdf/P1_031.pdf Radiation reaction effects in ultrahigh irradiance laser pulse interactions with multiple electrons.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304022852/http://epsppd.epfl.ch/Roma/pdf/P1_031.pdf |date=2016-03-04 }}</ref><ref>{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528215302/http://scitation.aip.org/getabs/servlet/GetabsServlet?prog=normal&id=PHPAEN000013000011113106000001&idtype=cvips&gifs=yes&ref=no |date=28 May 2016}}</ref>