SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY AND HYPOTHESIS

 

We know science known as form Latin scientia “Knowledge ” , is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. It's a useful tool for comprehending the natural world. In this world , day by day human beings invent new theories ,items and facts by using scientific methods. Scientific method is an approach to seeking knowledge that involves forming and testing a hypothesis. Scientific method has some step to start method and there mainly use scientific inquiry and hypothesis testing.

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY

Scientific inquiry refers to the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on the evidence derived from their work. Inquiry also refers to the activities of students in which they develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, as well as an understanding of how scientists study the natural world. Scientific inquiry includes the traditional science processes, but also refers to the combining of these processes with scientific knowledge, critical thinking and scientific reasoning to develop scientific knowledge.

Scientific inquiry can be seen to take several form:

• Descriptive
• Correlational
• Experimental

Descriptive research is the form of research that often characterizes the beginning of a line of research. This is the type of research that derives the variables and factors important to a particular situation of interest. The purpose of research in these areas is very often simply to describe.

Correlational research is research designed to discover relationships among variables and to allow the prediction of future events from present knowledge

Experimental research is research in which initial equivalence among research participants in more than one group is created, followed by a manipulation of a given experience for these groups and a measurement of the influence of the manipulation.

Each of the three research designs varies according to its strengths and limitations, and it is important to understand how each differs

Scientific inquiry is the best approach we have to understanding the natural world and predicting natural phenomena. Evidence for this claim can be found in the successes of science-based technologies. Take medicine, for example. Prior to the 1700s, most medical practices were based on  folk traditions or on ideas promoted by religious leaders. Some of these prescientific remedies worked, but the process for discovering new treatments was a slow and haphazard system of trial and error. Ineffective treatments were often accepted simply because there was no clear procedure for evaluating them. Today, with science-based medicine and public health practices, we have gained unprecedented control over threats to our health.

This video will explain scientific inquiry and method .

HYPOTHESIS

According to many fields , we can define hypothesis testing by many ways . So  scientific hypothesis , an idea that proposes a tentative explanation about a phenomenon or a narrow set of phenomena observed in the natural world. A key function in this step in the scientific method is deriving predictions from the hypotheses about the results of future experiments, and then performing those experiments to see whether they support the predictions

A scientific hypothesis must meet two requirements. 

1. A scientific hypothesis must be testable 
2. A scientific hypothesis must be falsifiable

• A testable hypothesis is a hypothesis that can be proved or disproved as a result of testing, data collection, or experience . 

• A hypothesis or model is called falsifiable if it is possible to conceive of an experimental observation that disproves the idea in question. That is, one of the possible outcomes of the designed experiment must be an answer, that if obtained, would disprove the hypothesis.

Science proceeds by making observations of nature (experiments). If a hypothesis does not generate any observational tests, there is nothing that a scientist can do with it. Arguing back-and-forth about what should happen, or what ought to happen, is not the way science makes progress.Consider this hypothesis:

"Our universe is surrounded by another, larger universe, with which we can have absolutely no contact"

This statement may or may not be true, but it is not a scientific hypothesis. By its very nature it is not testable. There are no observations that a scientist could make to tell whether or not the hypothesis is correct. Ideas such as this example are interesting to think about, but science has nothing to say about them. Therefore this example is a speculation, not a hypothesis.

Now consider this hypothesis:

"There are other inhabited planets in the universe."

This hypothesis is testable, but it is not a scientific hypothesis. Here's why. This hypothesis may be either correct or wrong. If it is correct, there are several ways that its correctness can be proven by including these points. First one is , a space probe sent from earth to explore the universe sends back the news that it has discovered an inhabited planet. Secondly radio telescopes on earth begin to receive signals from somewhere in the Andromeda Galaxy that appear to be reruns of the "I Love Telek" show. Lastly Knock, Knock. "Greetings, earthling! I am Telek from the planet Zoron in the Andromeda Galaxy. I have just landed in your backyard. Take me to your leader."

So, if this hypothesis is true, there are observations that scientists could make that would prove its correctness. But, the hypothesis may be wrong. If this hypothesis is wrong, there is no test that will prove it. If one of our space probes never finds an inhabited planet, it doesn't mean that one doesn't exist. If we never receive signals from space, or Telek never lands in your back yard, that does not prove that the hypothesis is wrong, either. This hypothesis is not falsifiable.