• One or more hypotheses are proposed to explain observations.

• A hypothesis should be testable and lead to predictions.

• A prediction should be falsifiable through tests.

• A test may take the form of further observations or a controlled experiment. where the effect of one variable is checked by testing control and experimental groups that differ in only one variable.

• The test results should either support or reject the hypothesis.
  • If supported, the hypothesis gains theoretical value and is further tested.
    
  • If rejected, the hypothesis is either revised or discarded.

A hypothesis that has sufficient support via many tests may be accepted as a theory.

Scientific method exercise