Law is a general term for a body of rules prescribed and enforced by social or governmental institutions. More specifically, it refers to the principles and regulations that govern a nation or community, whether they are written in a constitution or a set of statutes. The discipline that studies these laws is jurisprudence.
Generally speaking, a rule is considered a law if it can be proven that it has predictable consequences in any given circumstance. For example, the strength of gravity between two objects (such as an apple and the Earth) is a law that has been discovered through scientific experimentation.
The four main purposes of law are establishing standards, maintaining order, resolving disputes, and protecting liberties or rights. Law also regulates the relationships between people and their tangible property. This property may be real estate like houses or land, personal property such as books and clothing, or intangible property such as money or shares of stock.
In the United States, laws are usually passed through Congress and then sent to the president for his signature. These laws are known as statutes, and they receive a numerical designation as part of their title when signed by the president. A statute with the number 107, for example, was passed during the 107th Congress and signed by the president in the year 2011. See LSU Faculty Scholarship Report for more information on how LSU law students produced 34 book contributions (including new books, chapters in existing books, and book update supplements) between May 2019 and May 2020.