Name: ________________________________________ Period: __________

Date: ____________________ Assignment: Writing Hypothesis

When people do scientific experiments, they try to shed light on the unknown or figure out how the world works. How do
scientists know where to start? Well, they ask questions.

In order to get answers, scientists start with a puzzling question. Then they try to answer their question by making an educated
guess. This educated guess is called a hypothesis. A hypothesis is an educated guess, based on research or general knowledge
that is developed before an experiment is conducted.

A strong hypothesis is written in this format:

If __________ (I do this) __________, then __________ (this) __________ will happen.

Hypothesis Writing Tips:

 The question comes first. Before you make a hypothesis, you have to clearly identify the question you are interested in
studying.
 A hypothesis is a statement, not a question. Your hypothesis is not the scientific questions in your project. The
hypothesis is an educated, testable prediction about what will happen.
 Make it clear. A good hypothesis is written in a clear and simple language. Reading your hypothesis should tell a
teacher exactly what you thought was going to happen when you started your experiment.
 Make sure your hypothesis is “testable.” To prove or disprove your hypothesis, you need to be able to do an
experiment, take measurements, and make observations to see how two things are related. You should also be able to
repeat your experiment over and over again.

Write a hypothesis for each of the following problem statements.

1. How does the amount of day light affect the number of eggs laid by a chicken?
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2. How does classroom temperature affect students’ performance on a test?

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3. How will batting practice affect a player’s batting average?

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4. Does adding fertilizer affect the growth of a plant?

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5. How does the amount of leaves on a tree affect how many birds will build nests in it?
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6. How does the acid level in a lake affect how many fish live there?
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7. What effect does light have on plant growth?

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8. What effect does studying with music have on student test scores?
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9. What effect does smiling have on a teacher giving no homework?

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10. Ms. Wagner loves to eat tomatoes. She wants to know how to plant a garden that grows plants with more tomatoes.
She plants three different pots of tomato plants and gives them different amounts of fertilizer. She keeps everything
else the same (the amount of water, the amount of soil, amount of sun the plants get). For one month, she records
how many tomatoes each plant produces.
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11. Will toddlers grow taller if they drink more milk?

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12. Can reading small print cause a headache?

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13. How does the number of pieces of gum I chew (1, 3, 5) affect how big of a bubble I can blow?
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14. Do heavier objects fall faster than light objects?

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15. Does eating breakfast increase performance in school?

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