Hypothesis
noun
An idea or explanation for something that is based on known facts but has not yet been proved.
His hypothesis is that watching violent films makes teenagers act violently.
Often appears as...
- test a hypothesis
- hypothesis testing
Usage tips
Academic
noun
A possible explanation that is made from limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.
Several hypotheses for global warming have been suggested.
Often appears as...
- research hypothesis
- alternative hypothesis
Usage tips
Scientific
noun
A tentative suggestion made for the purpose of being tested by facts.
She proposed a new hypothesis for the unsolvable equation.
Often appears as...
- hypothesis testing
- prove a hypothesis
Usage tips
Mathematical
noun
An idea or explanation for something that is based on known facts but has not yet been proved.
His hypothesis is that watching violent films makes teenagers act violently.
Often appears as...
- test a hypothesis
- hypothesis testing
Usage tips
Academic
noun
A possible explanation that is made from limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.
Several hypotheses for global warming have been suggested.
Often appears as...
- research hypothesis
- alternative hypothesis
Usage tips
Scientific
noun
A tentative suggestion made for the purpose of being tested by facts.
She proposed a new hypothesis for the unsolvable equation.
Often appears as...
- hypothesis testing
- prove a hypothesis
Usage tips
Mathematical
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Based on Facts
A hypothesis should have a foundation of real-world facts, even though it's not proven.
Her hypothesis was based on the increasing pollution levels recorded last year.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Yet Proven
Remember, a hypothesis is an idea that has not been proven true, but it's not just a guess.
The doctor's hypothesis that sleep quality affects memory needed testing.
Pro Tip 3/3Testing Required
The ultimate goal of a hypothesis is to be tested through research or experimentation.
Scientists designed an experiment to test the hypothesis on plant growth.
Compare with
assumptionconjecturepostulatepremisepropositionspeculatesuppositiontheorythesis
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Video examples
Wombats Poo Cubes! PIPE...
three hypotheses right and I'm gonna give them to you now see what you think about these ones the first one is that they have square anuses. No absolute nonsense never seen a square anus in my life and I've been looking, seriously I mean even if it were square when the poo came out it would reform into a pellet shape. Okay so you don't like that one. No. Okay the other option
Video examples
A simple way to break a...
was twice as good as gold standard therapy at helping people quit smoking. So it actually works. And when we studied the brains of experienced meditators, we found that parts of a neural network of self-referential processing called the default mode network were at play. Now, one current hypothesis is that a region of this network,
Video examples
Tim Urban: Inside the...
My behavior has always perplexed the non-procrastinators around me, and I wanted to explain to the non-procrastinators of the world what goes on in the heads of procrastinators, and why we are the way we are. Now, I had a hypothesis that the brains of procrastinators were actually different than the brains of other people.
Video examples
Why do we hiccup? - John...
to adults with lungs. This hypothesis suggests that the hiccup is a relic of the ancient transition from water to land. An inhalation that could move water over gills followed by a rapid closure of the glottis preventing water from entering the lungs. That's supported by evidence
Video examples
Is there a reproducibilit...
In addition, little incentive exists to publish results unsupportive of the expected hypothesis. That results in a deluge of agreement between what was expected and what was found. In rare occasions, this can even lead to deliberate fabrication,
Video examples
Why is yawning...
in a person nearby that has observed the act. Once this reflex is triggered, it must run its course. Have you ever tried to stop a yawn once it has begun? Basically impossible! Another physiological hypothesis is known as non-conscious mimicry,
Video examples
The hidden worlds within...
animals, minerals, fossils, and artifacts present windows into times and places around the world and across billions of years of history. When a research problem emerges, scientists peer through these windows and test hypotheses about the past.
Video examples
Black Holes PIPE National...
University he searched the universe to find anything that could warp space-time as much as a rotating black hole what he found led him to make a bold and ambitious hypothesis which is based on something that is still theoretical it's
Video examples
Nathalie Cabrol: How...
Regardless, what we know is that because of the discovery, the hypothesis that there is still life present on Mars today remains a viable one. So by now, I think I have convinced you that Mars is very special to us,
Video examples
We can solve big...
split off a chlorine atom react with the ozone destroying the ozone layer in few years later scientists confirmed the hypothesis and then observed a huge decrease in ozone
Video examples
Wombats Poo Cubes! PIPE...
three hypotheses right and I'm gonna give them to you now see what you think about these ones the first one is that they have square anuses. No absolute nonsense never seen a square anus in my life and I've been looking, seriously I mean even if it were square when the poo came out it would reform into a pellet shape. Okay so you don't like that one. No. Okay the other option
Video examples
A simple way to break a...
was twice as good as gold standard therapy at helping people quit smoking. So it actually works. And when we studied the brains of experienced meditators, we found that parts of a neural network of self-referential processing called the default mode network were at play. Now, one current hypothesis is that a region of this network,
Video examples
Tim Urban: Inside the...
My behavior has always perplexed the non-procrastinators around me, and I wanted to explain to the non-procrastinators of the world what goes on in the heads of procrastinators, and why we are the way we are. Now, I had a hypothesis that the brains of procrastinators were actually different than the brains of other people.
Video examples
Why do we hiccup? - John...
to adults with lungs. This hypothesis suggests that the hiccup is a relic of the ancient transition from water to land. An inhalation that could move water over gills followed by a rapid closure of the glottis preventing water from entering the lungs. That's supported by evidence
Video examples
Is there a reproducibilit...
In addition, little incentive exists to publish results unsupportive of the expected hypothesis. That results in a deluge of agreement between what was expected and what was found. In rare occasions, this can even lead to deliberate fabrication,
Video examples
Why is yawning...
in a person nearby that has observed the act. Once this reflex is triggered, it must run its course. Have you ever tried to stop a yawn once it has begun? Basically impossible! Another physiological hypothesis is known as non-conscious mimicry,
Video examples
The hidden worlds within...
animals, minerals, fossils, and artifacts present windows into times and places around the world and across billions of years of history. When a research problem emerges, scientists peer through these windows and test hypotheses about the past.
Video examples
Black Holes PIPE National...
University he searched the universe to find anything that could warp space-time as much as a rotating black hole what he found led him to make a bold and ambitious hypothesis which is based on something that is still theoretical it's
Video examples
Nathalie Cabrol: How...
Regardless, what we know is that because of the discovery, the hypothesis that there is still life present on Mars today remains a viable one. So by now, I think I have convinced you that Mars is very special to us,
Video examples
We can solve big...
split off a chlorine atom react with the ozone destroying the ozone layer in few years later scientists confirmed the hypothesis and then observed a huge decrease in ozone
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Ben Goldacre
British Writer
Science isn't about authority or white coats; it's about following a method. That method is built on core principles: precision and transparency; being clear about your methods; being honest about your results; and drawing a clear line between the results, on the one hand, and your judgment calls about how those results support a hypothesis.
Quote examples
Graham Hancock
British Writer
Many people say I believe aliens built the pyramids. I don't. In fact I'm not a supporter of the 'ancient alien' hypothesis at all. I think a lost human civilization is a much better explanation of the mysteries and paradoxes of ancient cultures.
Quote examples
Mary Dillon
American Businesswoman
Women in the U.S. are influenced by the same trends - popular culture, runway trends, etc. - and our hypothesis is that she's quite anxious to be able to buy products in her town that perhaps she hasn't been able to in the past.
Quote examples
Oliver Joseph Lodge
English Physicist
The hypothesis of surviving intelligence and personality - not only surviving but anxious and able with difficulty to communicate - is the simplest and most straightforward and the only one that fits all the facts.
Quote examples
William Robertson Smith
Scottish Scientist
This, it may be said, is no more than a hypothesis... only of that force of precedent which in all times has been so strong to keep alive religious forms of which the original meaning is lost.
Quote examples
Wilhelm Wundt
German Psychologist
From the standpoint of observation, then, we must regard it as a highly probable hypothesis that the beginnings of the mental life date from as far back as the beginnings of life at large.
Quote examples
Alice Roberts
English Scientist
Educated guesswork' is what science is. You form hypotheses, test them against the evidence, and if they fit the evidence, you can assume you've got close to the truth.
Quote examples
Alice Dreger
American Scientist
When all is said and done, science actually takes hard work and a willingness to sometimes find out that your most cherished hypothesis is wrong.
Quote examples
Konrad Lorenz
Austrian Scientist
Truth in science can be defined as the working hypothesis best suited to open the way to the next better one.
Quote examples
Nate Mendel
American Musician
Popular ideas about AIDS are based on a hypothesis that does not stand up to scientific scrutiny.
Quote examples
Ben Goldacre
British Writer
Science isn't about authority or white coats; it's about following a method. That method is built on core principles: precision and transparency; being clear about your methods; being honest about your results; and drawing a clear line between the results, on the one hand, and your judgment calls about how those results support a hypothesis.
Quote examples
Graham Hancock
British Writer
Many people say I believe aliens built the pyramids. I don't. In fact I'm not a supporter of the 'ancient alien' hypothesis at all. I think a lost human civilization is a much better explanation of the mysteries and paradoxes of ancient cultures.
Quote examples
Mary Dillon
American Businesswoman
Women in the U.S. are influenced by the same trends - popular culture, runway trends, etc. - and our hypothesis is that she's quite anxious to be able to buy products in her town that perhaps she hasn't been able to in the past.
Quote examples
Oliver Joseph Lodge
English Physicist
The hypothesis of surviving intelligence and personality - not only surviving but anxious and able with difficulty to communicate - is the simplest and most straightforward and the only one that fits all the facts.
Quote examples
William Robertson Smith
Scottish Scientist
This, it may be said, is no more than a hypothesis... only of that force of precedent which in all times has been so strong to keep alive religious forms of which the original meaning is lost.
Quote examples
Wilhelm Wundt
German Psychologist
From the standpoint of observation, then, we must regard it as a highly probable hypothesis that the beginnings of the mental life date from as far back as the beginnings of life at large.
Quote examples
Alice Roberts
English Scientist
Educated guesswork' is what science is. You form hypotheses, test them against the evidence, and if they fit the evidence, you can assume you've got close to the truth.
Quote examples
Alice Dreger
American Scientist
When all is said and done, science actually takes hard work and a willingness to sometimes find out that your most cherished hypothesis is wrong.
Quote examples
Konrad Lorenz
Austrian Scientist
Truth in science can be defined as the working hypothesis best suited to open the way to the next better one.
Quote examples
Nate Mendel
American Musician
Popular ideas about AIDS are based on a hypothesis that does not stand up to scientific scrutiny.
Example 1 of 10
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