Why can a physical law be changed or limited after new experiments?

In physical science, a law may be changed or limited because scientific understanding relies on an ongoing interplay between theoretical models and empirical evidence.

Scientific progress often involves refining theories to explain new, puzzling data or experimental anomalies that contradict existing frameworks. When experiments reveal unexpected behavior or minute discrepancies—such as the Lamb shift in atomic energy levels—these findings can expose the inadequacies of a prevailing theory. This process may trigger a shift toward a more comprehensive model, such as the transition from Newtonian mechanics to quantum physics and general relativity.12

Furthermore, many physical laws are based on idealized models that initially ignore certain features for simplicity. As experimental techniques improve, scientists can detect smaller effects, requiring them to adjust these models to represent reality more accurately. The correspondence principle ensures that when a new, broader theory replaces an older one, the new theory must still agree with the old one in the specific conditions where the original was applicable.342