Hypothesis

A hypothesis 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.

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Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

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