Meaning of Hypothesis

 Hypothesis is a tentative supposition, used for

explaining facts which cannot be understood without
it; it is an attempt of explaining facts and has a
provisional character; it is an organizing principles; it
is considered as result of rational activity as it requires
thinking since the same facts can be organized in
different ways.

 Hypothesis is used by both common man as well as

scientists. They assert that science uses “the method
of hypothesis or hypothetico-deductive method.”

 Common man uses hypothesis for everyday

assumptions and to understand different things.
E.g. if you get 8 hours sleep, you will perform much
better In a running race.
(A person getting enough sleep performs much better
than a person having sleepless night in physical
 Scientific Method: There are certain common features in
the investigations conducted in the different sciences.
These may called as scientific method. Thus, “scientific
method is the procedure adopted by scientists in
establishing their conclusion.”
 E.g. If I give a plant an unlimited amount of sunlight. Then
plant will grow to its largest possible size.

 Every hypothesis is an attempt to explain facts so it has a

provisional character. Therefore hypothesis is a basically,
rational assumption made by a person.

 In simple language, hypothesis means an uncertain

solution to a certain problem. It can be true or false
because there is no fact to confirm the validity of the
hypothesis.
Stages of Hypothetico-Deductive Method