1.20. Hypothesis http://www.ck12.org
1.20 Hypothesis
- State two criteria of a scientific hypothesis.
- Explain why a hypothesis cannot be proven true.
Although this cartoon pokes fun at scientific hypotheses, the concept of hypothesis is one of the most important
in science. Scientific investigations discover evidence that helps science advance, and the purpose of scientific
investigations generally is to test hypotheses. Finding evidence to support or disprove hypotheses is how science
advances.
What Is a Scientific Hypothesis?
The wordhypothesiscan be defined as an "educated guess." For example, it might be an educated guess about why
a natural event occurs. But not all hypotheses—even those about the natural world—are scientific hypotheses. What
makes a statement a scientific hypothesis rather than just an educated guess? A scientifichypothesismust meet two
criteria:
- A scientific hypothesis must be testable.
- A scientific hypothesis must be falsifiable.