Develop a Hypothesis

Develop a Hypothesis

The purpose of science is to develop questions about the world around us. Discovering the answers to these questions teaches us more about how nature works and where humans fit into the equation. An important step in finding these answers is developing and testing hypotheses. A hypothesis is an initial, tentative statement that offers a possible explanation to some phenomenon, event, or scientific problem. These statements are made at the beginning of projects in order to provide an initial direction for further research.

A useful hypothesis is both testable and measurable. This means that there is some variable you can evaluate that will either prove or disprove your hypothesis. This verification procedure is what the rest of the scientific process is all about.

When you're developing your hypothesis, try to think about a reason that may explain the question you're researching. As you further investigate your problem, you'll learn more background information about your topic and create new questions to answer. These questions may refine your hypothesis throughout your project and lead you to even more questions you didn't initially consider.