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Gibson's law

Gibson's law is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Gibson's law rather than just read about it. In short: In public relations, and in the practice of law, Gibson's law holds that "For every PhD there is an equal and opposite PhD." The term specifically refers to the conflict between testimony of expert witnesses called by opposing parties in a trial under an adversarial system of justice. It is also applied to conflicting scientific opinion injected into policy decisions by interested parties creating a controversy to p…

Key takeaways

  • Gibson's law belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Gibson's law to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Gibson's law from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In public relations, and in the practice of law, Gibson's law holds that "For every PhD there is an equal and opposite PhD." The term specifically refers to the conflict between testimony of expert witnesses called by opposing parties in a trial under an adversarial system of justice. It is also applied to conflicting scientific opinion injected into policy decisions by interested parties creating a controversy to promote their interests. An early mention of "Gibson's Rule" comes from Ivan Preston who wrote "The problem of having opposing sides present opposite pictures of the consumer and of the research process was nicely distilled in a statement made by Fletcher Waller while representing General Mills in the children’s rulemaking. Waller quoted what he called Gibson’s Rule, which is that for every Ph.D. there is an equal and opposite Ph.D."

See also Academic bias – Bias of scholars allowing their beliefs to shape their research Clarke's three laws – Axioms proposed by British science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke List of eponymous laws – Adages and sayings named after a person Newton's laws of motion § Third law Politicization of science – Use of science for political purposes

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gibson's law

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gibson's law claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Gibson's law before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Gibson's law ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Gibson's law

In research
Gibson's law appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Gibson's law in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Gibson's law is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Evidence law, Propaganda, Public relations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Gibson's law outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Gibson's law in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Gibson's law means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Gibson's law out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gibson's law in simple terms?

In public relations, and in the practice of law, Gibson's law holds that "For every PhD there is an equal and opposite PhD." The term specifically refers to the conflict between testimony of expert witnesses called by opposing parties in a trial under an adversarial system of justice. It is also ap…

Why does Gibson's law matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Gibson's law?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Gibson's law.

Tags

  • Evidence law
  • Propaganda
  • Public relations

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