Scientist like to ask the questions "Why?" and "How?" To answer these questions, they formulate hypotheses that can be tested.
Hypothesis are tentative answers to the questions. It is a guess of a natural phenomenon or happening. Hypothesis testing, guides scientific research. Scientists apply hypothetico-deductive approaches to ask questions and to test answers. This allows them to modify and correct their beliefs as new observations and information become available. There are five stages or levels under this process:
1. Making the observations
2. Asking the questions
3. Formulating the hypotheses
4. Making predictions based on the hypotheses
5. Testing the predictions based on the hypotheses by making more observations or conducting experiments
The information gathered can be used to reject or accept the hypotheses being tested.
Theory: When hypotheses is tested and supported several times by additional data, it becomes a theory. A theory, therefore, indicates an increased confidence in the correctness of the hypotheses.
Law: When more data and testing support the theory, and there is an increased confidence in its correctness, it becomes a law.
We will explore examples of these in the next topic. Stay tuned!
