National Park Service LogoU.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNational Park Service
National Park Service:  U.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park Service Arrowhead
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument This Barrel Cactus blooms in early September.
view map
text size: largest larger normal
printer friendly
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Form Several Hypotheses
Forming a hypothesis

Forming a Hypothesis

To find an answer to a question, a hypothesis is formed. A hypothesis is a possible explanation for the question. They can be proven false, but can never be proven absolutely true. This allows other people the ability to verify the results, and leaves the chance to find better explanations as our understanding grows.

Removing personal feelings

To help remove any personal feelings that may be added when a hypothesis is formed, multiple hypotheses are typically proposed. This causes all of the hypotheses to be tested harder in order to throw away the false explanations.

Back to Betsy and our example...

Betsy has begun thinking of all sorts of possible explanations. How might Betsy test these hypotheses? How would you test them?

Back - Next

You are exiting the National Park Service website

Thank you for visiting our site.

You will now be redirected to:

We hope your visit was informative and enjoyable.

Last Updated: August 20, 2006 at 17:43 MST