Introduction > Getting Started in Science > Hypotheses

Hypotheses Generating and testing hypotheses is a fundamental aspect of scientific research. But what is a hypothesis? A hypothesis is an educated ‘guess’ at what the results of a piece of research will be. There are two 'types' of hypotheses: the null hypothesis (H0) and the alternate hypothesis (H1). The null hypothesis states that "there is nothing happening or no difference". For instance, if you are investigating the effect of temperature on the growth rate of the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, your null hypothesis would be that temperature had no effect on the growth rate (ie there is 'null difference' in the growth rates). The alternate hypothesis is the opposite of this, ie there is an effect of temperature. From a statistical and ethical perspective, to avoid any bias of your experiment you must always test the null hypothesis. Developing your null hypothesis can seem like one of the most difficult aspects of your research. It's not as bad as it sounds though. Have a go at creating null hypotheses from simple project descriptions. Answers are provided, but don't cheat!

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