File:Cellarius_Harmonia_Macrocosmica_-_Hypothesis_Ptolemaica.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ41719· pop 113· linked from 1,341 articles

hypothesis

Also known as antecedent, hypotheses

thumb|right|350px|The hypothesis of Andreas Cellarius, showing the planetary motions in eccentric and epicyclical [[orbits]]

AI overview

A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for something that hasn't been proven yet, which scientists test through observation and experimentation to see if it's true. It matters because hypotheses guide scientific investigation and help us organize our thinking before we gather evidence to determine what's actually happening in the world.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Show 2 more facts

Commons category: Hypotheses
equivalent class: vocab.org/evidence/terms/Hypothesis

Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

~13 min read

Article

11 sections

Contents

Uses
Scientific hypothesis
Working hypothesis
Hypotheses, concepts and measurement
Statistical hypothesis testing
Honours
List
See also
References
Bibliography
External links

thumb|right|350px|The hypothesis of Andreas Cellarius, showing the planetary motions in eccentric and epicyclical [[orbits]]

A hypothesis (: hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. A scientific hypothesis must be based on observations and make a testable and reproducible prediction about reality, in a process beginning with an educated guess. If a hypothesis is repeatedly independently demonstrated by experiment to be true, it becomes a scientific theory. In colloquial usage, the words hypothesis and theory are often used interchangeably, but this is incorrect in the context of science.