Law is the system of rules governing behavior that are created and enforced by social or governmental institutions. It is a complex subject for study, including a source of scholarly inquiry into areas such as legal history, philosophy, economic analysis, and sociology. It is also a field that raises many social issues, such as equality and fairness.

Most countries have laws that regulate their citizens, businesses and organizations. The specific nature of the laws varies from nation to nation, as does the process by which the laws are made and enforced. For example, some nations have a common law system in which judges interpret the law by considering precedents from prior cases, while others use a statutory (prescriptive) system of laws that are derived from legislatures or other sources.

The main function of law is to govern a society and maintain order. To do this, laws must be interpreted by courts and applied fairly. There are a number of different types of law, including criminal, civil, and administrative. Criminal law involves offenses against public morality, such as murder or theft. Civil law deals with disputes between individuals, such as divorce or property. Administrative law includes regulations on the provision of services like energy, water and telecommunications.

A law is a set of rules that are binding. It can be a written or unwritten rule that must be obeyed. It can be a standard that must be followed, such as the Golden Rule or the Bible’s commandment to “love thy neighbour as yourself.” A law is also a principle or theory, such as Newton’s Third Law of Motion or Plato’s Law of Forms.