At first everyone in our class guessed how many possums we would catch during a week-long study We decided to set up a hypothesis that might predict the number more accurately and test the idea behind our prediction We wanted to predict the density of possums in town In the bush there are usually about five possums per hectare We predicted that there would be fewer possums in town because (1) food limits possum numbers and that less food is present in towns because houses and roads take up the space; (2) people may kill possums because they eat roses and vegetables in town; (3) cars may run them over, and (4) light and noise may frighten them and disrupt their feeding and movements
A tentative conjecture explaining an observation, phenomenon or scientific problem that can be tested by further observation, investigation and/or experimentation
a tentative (as opposed to a theory which is well tested) explanation for observed events An hypothesis is not a prediction itself, but it must allow you to make predictions which can be tested by experiment When the results of those experiments are as predicted, it lends support to the hypothesis as a good explanation, and its eventual acceptance as a theory If the results are not as predicted, the hypothesis must be modified, or replaced with a better explanation No statement is an hypothesis unless it suggests a cause for an effect
A tentative theory or supposition provisionally adopted to explain certain facts, and to guide in the investigation of others; hence, frequently called a working hypothesis
A hypothesis is an idea which is suggested as a possible explanation for a particular situation or condition, but which has not yet been proved to be correct. Work will now begin to test the hypothesis in rats = theory. Gaia hypothesis hypothesis testing Nostratic hypothesis
A proposition, usually couched in the form of a conjecture or provisional explanation that states a relationship among empirical or theoretical variables
a scientific idea about how something works, before the idea has been tested Scientists do experiments to test their hypothesis and see if the hypothesis is correct
A tentative assumption that is made for the purpose of empirical scientific testing A hypothesis becomes a theory when repeated testing and evidence suggests the hypothesis has a strong chance of being correct
An idea advanced to explain a set of observations Ideally, any problem can be interpreted by several possible hypotheses The idea of the hypothetico-deductive method is that a critical experiment can be devised whose outcome should be different for each hypothesis The actual outcome then eliminates those hypotheses failing to predict it See section 2 3 etc
A belief about probable performance of events, it differs from theory or law in that it is known to be tentative rather than certain No logical interpretation of events can be drawn without some type of hypothesis; some kind of model must be used to provide the hypothesis with its initial base of assumptions
(hi-poth-e-siss) A hypothesis is a conjecture (or set of conjectures) put forward to guide one's investigation and explanation of a given phenomenon, problem or issue The plural of hypothesis is hypotheses (ie hi-poth-e-sees)
Tentative, educated guess or proposition about the relationship between two or more variables; often, hypotheses take the form of statements like "If x occurs, then y will follow," or "As x increases, so will y "
A supposition; a proposition or principle which is supposed or taken for granted, in order to draw a conclusion or inference for proof of the point in question; something not proved, but assumed for the purpose of argument, or to account for a fact or an occurrence; as, the hypothesis that head winds detain an overdue steamer
"a supposition made as a starting point for further investigation from known facts" or "a proposition made as a basis for reasoning, without the assumption of truth" (Oxford Canadian Dictionary)
An hypothesis is a prediction of the relationship between an independent variable and dependent variable in an experiment An example hypothesis: "The number of seeds that germinate will decrease with increasing concentration of NaCl "
a tentative theory about the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena; "a scientific hypothesis that survives experimental testing becomes a scientific theory"; "he proposed a fresh theory of alkalis that later was accepted in chemical practices"
forming a generalization / question based on observations; involves asking questions, making inferences and predictions; must be testable/tested to establish credibility
A tentative conjecture explaining an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further observation, investigation, and/or experimentation
A supposition, arrived at from observation or reflection, that leads to refutable predictions Any conjecture cast in a form that will allow it to be tested and refuted
As a result of observation and thought scientists make a guess or hypothesis They then test the hypothesis by carrying out experiments If the experiments turn out as expected then this suggests the hypothesis is correct Much more work is usually required before it is accepted as scientific knowledge or theory
A supposition or idea about something In the scientific realm, it generally relates to physical or chemical interactions among various entities of nature
A hypothesis is an unproved proposition to explain a certain fact or observation A working hypothesis is a scientist's best estimation, based on scientific knowledge and assumptions, of the results of an experiment One reason that hypotheses are so important is that in order to evaluate the significance of research data, scientists need something to compare it to A hypothesis typically provides the key point of comparison for experimental data, leading to two crucial questions that must be addressed in the lab report: did you find what you expected to find? why or why not? The point of an experiment is to test the hypothesis The null hypothesis for any experiment is that the results were due to random chance alone Statistical tests cannot evaluate working hypotheses directly; they can only provide the basis for accepting or rejecting the cooresponding null hypothesis