datum vs theory

datum

noun
  • A premise from which conclusions are drawn. 

  • A floating reference point, or SLDMB, used to evaluate surface currents in a body of water. Often employed by coastal search and rescue. 

  • A fixed reference point or set of reference points which precisely define a system of measurement or a coordinate system. 

  • A fact known from direct observation. 

verb
  • To provide missing data points by using a mathematical model to extrapolate values that are outside the range of a measuring device. 

theory

noun
  • A hypothesis or conjecture. 

  • A coherent statement or set of ideas that explains observed facts or phenomena and correctly predicts new facts or phenomena not previously observed, or which sets out the laws and principles of something known or observed; a hypothesis confirmed by observation, experiment etc. 

  • A field of study attempting to exhaustively describe a particular class of constructs. 

  • A set of axioms together with all statements derivable from them; or, a set of statements which are deductively closed. Equivalently, a formal language plus a set of axioms (from which can then be derived theorems). The statements may be required to all be bound (i.e., to have no free variables). 

  • A description of an event or system that is considered to be accurate. 

  • The underlying principles or methods of a given technical skill, art etc., as opposed to its practice. 

How often have the words datum and theory occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )