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How Should a Scientific Hypothesis Be Proposed?

A hypothesis is a temporary statement made that provides a potential explanation to an event or phenomena. A scientific hypothesis, however, needs to be both testable and falsifiable (able to be proven wrong). A scientific hypothesis is proposed before the experiment is even carried out.
  1. How it's Proposed

    • You may be testing how two variables are related or if they are related, at all. Your hypothesis could be expressed as "Temperature may affect the colors of leaves." However, forming the hypothesis in this manner does not necessarily explain how you would actually test it. Instead, you would need to propose the hypothesis in a more formal way. For example, you'd need to use the words "if" and "then." According to Access Excellence, the formalized hypothesis would be expressed as "If leaf color is related to temperature, then exposing plants to low temperatures will result in changes in leaf color."

    Formalized Hypothesis

    • Writing the scientific hypothesis with the words "if" and "then" is significant because it'll give the conductor of the experiment an idea of what he or she should be looking for. The formalized hypothesis has two variables -- one independent and one dependent. The independent variable is the one that the person conducting the experiment can control, while the other is the variable that is observable.

    Three Step Process

    • Writing a scientific hypothesis is a three step process. Doing it this way helps reduce the terms and develop a hypothesis that you can test. The first step involves generating a broad hypothesis that includes everything that you will observe and analyze. From there, the hypothesis must be refined to give direction on how to develop the experiment. The final step is to design an experiment so that you can conduct your research.

    Predictions

    • In order for a hypothesis to be testable, it also should make some kind of prediction. Remember, while predictions often mean that something will happen in the future, scientific predictions refer to what is currently happening around you. A prediction actually implies that the hypothesis can be tested. If a hypothesis provides a prediction, it also declares that the hypothesis is testable.


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