Forming A Hypothesis printable pdf download

Forming A Hypothesis

Name: ________________________________________________ Date: __________ Period: ______

Forming a Hypothesis

If you want to use scientific methods to deal with a problem, you must learn how to form a hypothesis.

A hypothesis is an educated explanation than can be tested. It attempts to account for the data at hand.

HOW DO YOU FORM A HYPOTHESIS?

The first step is to collect as many observations as possible about the problem you are examining. Then

consider our observations, and think about how they might relate to the problem. Try to imagine

possible solutions to explain your observations.

Once you come up with a possible explanation, ask yourself if it could be proven wrong by an

experiment. If it could be proven wrong, then you have formed a hypothesis. If there is no way to prove

it wrong, go back to your data and try to come up with another hypothesis.

Read the paragraphs below. Then follow the instructional steps below to form a hypothesis.

Every day for the past week you have come home from school to find that your favorite plant has been

knocked onto the floor from its place on the windowsill. The plant is an aloe plant. In the past year, it

has grown to almost twice its previous size. You always leave the aloe plant sitting securely on the

windowsill with the window open.

The last time you were cleaning up the plant, you noticed paw prints in the dirt that had spilled from

the pot. You have only one pet, a cat. You look around to see what other observations you can gather.

Outside the window, you see the stump of the tree that your neighbor cut down about a week ago.

Before he cut it, the tree grew directly in front of your window.

Looking for more clues, you ask your cousin if she has seen anything. She is in town for a visit and has

been staying in the guest room downstairs for the past week. She always plays really loud music with a

lot of bass. When you ask her, she assures you that she has not noticed anything unusual.

1. Recording Observations

Averett

Biology

30 September 2011

Forming A Hypothesis