Question

What is science? What are the steps of the scientific method?

What are the hypothesis and null hypothesis?

What is a theory? How does it differ from the hypothesis?

Answer 1

The answer to your query is as follows:

1. Science is a very broad term used in our day to day lives. It can be defined in different ways:

It is the study of the environment or nature and the behavior of the natural things found in it.

It can also be defined as the systematic study of the environment, the materials found in it, their behavior in the nature, the physical universe. It is all based on the identification of the things in the nature by observation, performing experiments, measurement of the things, and analysis of the data. Further it is followed by the formulation of laws to describe these facts and innovations in general basic terms.

It is a package of systematized knowledge that includes physics, chemistry and biology as its components that is derived from observation, experimentation and analysis carried out to determine the principles to be studied in life.

The steps of the scientific method are as follows:

• Observing a natural phenomenon or activity occurring in the surroundings and then defining a question related to it
• After observing and defining a question, creating a hypothesis which can also be a potential solution to the question raised
• Testing the hypothesis or the potential solution to the question
• Finding more evidences or proofs, if the hypothesis turns out to be true
• Creating a new hypothesis if the previous hypothesis is false
• At last making the conclusions for the tested hypothesis
• Repeating the scientific method to get the perfect result

2. Hypothesis - A hypothesis can be defined as a speculation, potential solution or theory that is based on the incomplete or insufficient evidence or proofs. A theory made in the hypothesis requires complex testing and experimentation to be proved.

It can be proven true or false based on the results obtained after experimentation.

For example, Mary hypothesizes that the plants she waters with nitrogen fertilizers will grow faster than the plants she waters with potassium water.

She performs an experiment in which she waters each and every plant daily for a month. Finally she proves that her hypothesis comes out to be true.

Null Hypothesis - A null hypothesis can be defined as a hypothesis that states that there is no statistical significance between the two types of variables studied in the hypothesis.

It is the kind of the hypothesis that the researchers generally try to disprove.

For example, in Mary’s case the null hypothesis would be like there is no statistical significance or relationship between the type of water used by her and the growth of the plants.

Generally in null hypothesis the researcher is challenged by it and wants to disprove it. It is done so that the researcher demonstrates that there is a statistical significance or relationship between the two types of variables or two types of phenomenon used in the hypothesis.

3. Theory- A theory can be defined as a principle that is created to explain things. The things explained in theory is already been substantiated by the information or the data.

Thus, a theory is used as a principle that is accepted by the scientists in the scientific community. For example: The Big Bang Theory.

The difference between Theory and Hypothesis is as follows:

Theory	Hypothesis
It involves a detailed explanation of a natural phenomenon or a hypothesis that is validated with the help of observations and experimentations.	A hypothesis is speculation or guess based on some observations or certain data that works as a foundation or the base for future investigation.
It is tested with experimentations and is proven scientifically.	It is not tested with experimentations and is not proven scientifically.
It generates certain results.	The results obtained are uncertain.
It depends on evidence and verification.	It depends on the possibility to occur.