Writing a Hypothesis
In this activity you will learn about formulating and testing a scientific hypothesis. A hypothesis is what scientists develop after they have observed something new or have looked at someone else’s experiment and come up with a new question.
In order to formulate a hypothesis, it is necessary to convert the question into a statement that can be supported or disproved. For example, if the question is:
“At what temperature does ice melt?”
then one way to phrase the hypothesis is:
“If the temperature of ice is raised until it transforms to liquid water, then it will melt at a specific temperature.”
More detail on how to convert a good question into a good hypothesis is given below.
Your knowledge of hypothesis-building will form the basis of a formal lab report that you will write in a later Guided Practice activity and throughout your course.
