A hypothesis is an explanation that can be tested to prove or disprove it. It must be testable, simple, and based on known information. A hypothesis can be wrong or inconclusive, but it still furthers scientific research.
A hypothesis is an explanation for a phenomenon that can be tested in a way that ideally proves or disproves it. For the duration of the test, the hypothesis is assumed to be true, and the researcher’s goal is to rigorously test its terms. The concept is a very important part of the scientific method and is also valid in other disciplines. For example, some historians have speculated that the Salem witch trials were caused by eating grains contaminated with ergot, causing mass hysteria.
When someone formulates a hypothesis, it is with the intention of testing it and should not know the outcome of potential tests before the hypothesis is formulated. When formulating a hypothesis, the ideals of the scientific method are often considered, so it is designed to be testable in a way that could be replicated by other people. It is also kept plain and simple and the hypothesis is based on known information and reasoning.
A hypothesis doesn’t have to be right or wrong, but the person formulating it must be prepared to test the theory to its limits. If someone hypothesizes that exposure to X causes Y in laboratory mice, for example, they need to see if exposure to other things also causes Y. When scientists publish results that support a hypothesis, they often detail the steps that they took to try and disprove it as well as the passages that confirmed it, to make the case that much stronger.
In some cases, a hypothesis turns out to be wrong, and this is considered perfectly acceptable, because it still furthers the cause of science. For example, in the example above, by showing that exposure to X does not cause Y, a scientist can illustrate that more research is needed on Y. In this example, the fact that the hypothesis is wrong does not necessarily mean that substance X is safe, because substance X could still cause something else.
It is also possible for a hypothesis to prove inconclusive after testing. This may be because a scientist lacks the necessary tools for testing, suggesting that advanced scientific techniques may be used in the future to test the idea. It can also be the result of not having enough information or a hypothesis that is simply poorly formulated and difficult to test.
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